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| Feeling Validated vs Being Correct: Using Selective Information |
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| SciMed - Soc & Psych | |||
| TS-Si News Service | |||
| Saturday, 04 July 2009 14:00 | |||
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Champaign, IL, USA. A new analysis of data from dozens of studies illuminates how we choose what we do and do not hear. People tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, but certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view. For some, life can settle into a routine of unexamined assumptions, often a continuation of childhood conditioning, and settled practices. Others do the opposite, living in constant flux. For most people, the normal rhythms of life entwine with aging and bring many changes that are integrated into the life as led, as seen from the end of their lives. We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see and hear as irrelevant noise, revisiting our criteria from time to time and revising our point of view. Most humans deal with this selection process without traumatic incident. However, it can become very distressful for those with a fetishistic need to objectify their inner vision of themselves. Overly disappointed if the information fails to meet their expectations, they can act out to achieve some degree of validation in the external world. But, there are those who when faced with uncomfortable truths and radically changed circumstances, integrate the implications and proceed successfully in the face of changed circumstances. How does this happen — and why? "We wanted to see exactly across the board to what extent people are willing to seek out the truth versus just stay comfortable with what they know," said University of Illinois psychology professor Dolores Albarracín, who led the study with University of Florida researcher William Hart. Their colleagues included researchers from Northwestern University and Ohio University. The researchers found that people who are unsure of their own beliefs are less likely to entertain opposing views but attempt to reinforce what they think they should believe. The findings appear in the Psychological Bulletin and retire longstanding debates over whether people actively avoid information contradicting their beliefs, or whether they are exposed more often to ideas that conform to their own because they tend to be surrounded by like-minded people. The studies under review generally asked participants about their views on a given topic and then allowed them to choose whether they wanted to view or read information supporting their own or an opposing point of view. The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select information that supports their own point of view (67 percent) as to consider an opposing idea (33 percent). Certain individuals, those with close-minded personalities, are even more reluctant to expose themselves to differing perspectives, Albarracín said. They will opt for the information that corresponds to their views nearly 75 percent of the time. The researchers also found, not surprisingly, that people are more resistant to new points of view when their own ideas are associated with political, religious or ethical values.
"If you are really committed to your own attitude — for example, if you are a very committed Democrat – you are more likely to seek congenial information, that is, information that corresponds with your views," Albarracín said. "If the issues concern moral values or politics, about 70 percent of the time you will choose congenial information, versus about 60 percent of the time if the issues are not related to values." Perhaps more surprisingly, people who have little confidence in their own beliefs are less likely to expose themselves to contrary views than people who are very confident in their own ideas. Certain factors can also induce people to seek out opposing points of view, she said. Those who may have to publicly defend their ideas, such as politicians, for example, are more motivated to learn about the views of those who oppose them. In the process, she said, they sometimes find that their own ideas evolve. People are also more likely to expose themselves to opposing ideas when it is useful to them in some way, Albarracín said. "If you're going to buy a house and you really like the house, you're still going to have it inspected," she said. Similarly, no matter how much you like your surgeon, you may seek out a second opinion before scheduling a major operation, she said. "For the most part it seems that people tend to stay with their own beliefs and attitudes because changing those might prevent them from living the lives they're living," Albarracín said. "But it's good news that one out of three times, or close to that, they are willing to seek out the other side. FundingThe research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
ParticipantsWilliam Hart, Inge Brechan, and Lisa Merrill, Department of Psychology, University of Florida; Dolores Albarracín, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Alice H. Eagly, Department
of Psychology, Northwestern University; Matthew J. Lindberg, Department of Psychology, Ohio University.
CitationFeeling Validated Versus Being Correct: A Meta-Analysis of Selective Exposure to Information. William Hart, Dolores Albarracín, Alice H. Eagly, Inge Brechan, Matthew J. Lindberg, Lisa Merrill. Psychological Bulletin 135(4): 555–588. doi: 10.1037/a0015701; 0033-2909/09
Download PDF Abstract A meta-analysis assessed whether exposure to information is guided by defense or accuracy motives. The studies examined information preferences in relation to attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in situations that provided choices between congenial information, which supported participants’ pre-existing attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors, and uncongenial information, which challenged these tendencies. Analyses indicated a moderate preference for congenial over uncongenial information (d = 0.36). As predicted, this congeniality bias was moderated by variables that affect the strength of participants’ defense motivation and accuracy motivation. In support of the importance of defense motivation, the congeniality bias was weaker when participants’ attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors were supported prior to information selection; when participants’ attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors were not relevant to their values or not held with conviction; when the available information was low in quality; when participants’ closed-mindedness was low; and when their confidence in the attitude, belief, or behavior was high. In support of the importance of accuracy motivation, an uncongeniality bias emerged when uncongenial information was relevant to accomplishing a current goal. Closing Note (from paper) Although information selection could potentially proceed solely under the influence of either the motivation to feel validated or the motivation to gain an accurate understanding of reality, our review suggests that both motivations are important. It seems likely that these often antagonistic tendencies may compensate for the potential dangers of seeking only selfvalidating or accurate information. Whereas defense motivation facilitates psychological stability and personal validation, accuracy motivation promotes accurate perceptions of reality. Given current evidence, however, it appears that tendencies toward congeniality prevail. Keywords: selective exposure, confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, decision making, self-regulation.
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