Confirmation bias is a tendency for people to favor information that
confirms their preconceptions. As a result, people recall information
from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way, in particular
for emotionally significant issues and established beliefs. Biased
search, interpretation and recall have been invoked to explain attitude
polarization (disagreeing parties diverging further when they are
exposed to the same evidence), belief perseverance (beliefs persisting
after the evidence for them is shown to be false), the primacy effect
(data encountered early in a series being given more weight) and
illusory correlation (people falsely perceiving an association between
two events or situations). Explanations for these biases include wishful
thinking and the limited human capacity to process information.
Confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs and
can maintain or strengthen beliefs in the face of contrary evidence.
This can lead to disastrous decisions, especially in organizational,
military and political contexts.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Jacobite standard at
Glenfinnan, Scotland, in an attempt to regain the British throne for his
father, beginning the Jacobite rising of 1745.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_rising_of_1745>
1759:
Seven Years' War: At the Battle of Lagos, British ships, having
damaged several French vessels the previous day, pursued the remainder
of the fleet to Lagos, Portugal, and continued the battle there in
violation of Portuguese neutrality.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lagos>
2002:
Second Chechen War: A Russian Mil Mi-26 was brought down by
Chechen separatists with a man-portable air-defense system near
Khankala, killing 127 people in the deadliest helicopter crash in
history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Khankala_Mi-26_crash>
2017:
Around 250,000 farmed non-native Atlantic salmon were
accidentally released into the wild near Cypress Island, Washington.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Island_Atlantic_salmon_pen_break>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
dress:
1. (transitive)
2. (also reflexive and figuratively) To put clothes (or, formerly,
armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
3. (specifically) To attire (oneself or someone) for a particular
(especially formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
4. To design, make, provide, or select clothes (for someone).
5. To arrange or style (someone's hair).
6. (also figuratively) To adorn or ornament (something).
7. To arrange a display of goods in, or to decorate (a shop or shop
window).
8. (nautical) To ornament (a ship) by hoisting the national colours at
the peak and mastheads, and setting the jack forward; when "dressed
full", the signal flags and pennants are added.
9. To apply a dressing to or otherwise treat (a wound); (obsolete) to
give (a wounded person) medical aid.
10. To fit or prepare (something) for use; to render (something)
suitable for an intended purpose; to get ready.
11. To prepare, treat, or curry (animal hide or leather).
12. To prepare the surface of (a material, usually lumber or stone).
13. (historical or England, regional) To remove chaff or impurities from
(flour, grain, etc.) by bolting or sifting, winnowing, and other
methods.
14. (fishing) To prepare (an artificial fly) to be attached to a fish
hook.
15. (agriculture, horticulture) To cultivate or tend to (a garden, land,
plants, etc.); especially, to add fertilizer or manure to (soil); to
fertilize, to manure.
16. (butchering) To cut up (an animal or its flesh) for food;
specifically (hunting), to remove the internal organs (of a game animal)
shortly after it has been killed so that the carcass cools more quickly;
to field dress.
17. (cooking) To prepare (food) for cooking or eating, especially by
seasoning it; specifically, to add a dressing or sauce (to food,
especially a salad).
18. (film, television, theater)
19. To design, make, or prepare costumes (for a play or other
performance); also, to present (a production) in a particular costume
style.
20. To prepare (a set) by installing the props, scenery, etc.
21. (military) To arrange (soldiers or troops) into proper formation;
especially, to adjust (soldiers or troops) into straight lines and at a
proper distance from each other; to align.
22. (Northern England, archaic) To treat (someone) in a particular
manner; specifically, in an appropriate or fitting manner; (by
extension, ironic) to give (someone) a deserved beating; also, to give
(someone) a good scolding; to dress down. [...]
23. (intransitive)
24. To put on clothes.
25. (specifically) To attire oneself for a particular (especially
formal) occasion, or in a fashionable manner.
26. Of a thing: to attain a certain condition after undergoing some
process or treatment to fit or prepare it for use. [...]
27. (slang) Ellipsis of cross-dress.
28. (butchering) Of an animal carcass: to have a certain quantity or
weight after removal of the internal organs and skin; also, to have a
certain appearance after being cut up and prepared for cooking.
29. (military, sometimes imperative as a drill command) Of soldiers or
troops: to arrange into proper formation; especially, to form into
straight lines and at a proper distance from each other.
30. (sports) Of a sportsperson: to put on the uniform and have the
equipment needed to play a sport.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dress>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true
is really true, there would be little hope of advance.
--Orville Wright
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Orville_Wright>