Motivated reasoning

[ciphergoth]

In motivated reasoning, memory searches, interpretations of incoming information, evaluations of arguments, and even perception, are biased in such a way that we will be more likely to arrive at a desired conclusion [...]

Motivated Reasoning I: Hot Cognition

What recommendations do you have for combating this cognitive bias in yourself and arrive at the truth? Faced with this possibility, what have you tried? Note that in doing this we can't assume the truth of the matter one way or the other since that's precisely what's at issue; the goal is to arrive at the correct conclusion, not to believe whatever is most pessimistic or most popular.

Comments

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

> combating this cognitive bias

In oneself, or in others?

Off the top of my head

[booklectica]

If the conclusion you reach is the one you wanted to reach, check your reasoning again, and again. If other people have reached different conclusions with the same data, check their reasoning. If they've reached different conclusions with different data, look at their data. And so on.

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Interesting. (I am afraid I couldn't see the article you linked to)

I find this a still minor problem in me nowadays when dealing with my ex. I believe that my "motivated reasoning" draws negative conclusions which are consistent with the facts. However it is possible/likely that my reasoning is directed down that route because I have the motivation to see her as an evil bitch.

All I can do is to question each step of my reasoning, remember that my memory is an active filter, and remember that I don't have all the facts.

But the aim from this process is not to arrive at the *correct* conclusions, but merely less painful ones.

In order to combat bias in my reasoning all I can do is to seek out more evidence - hopefully without that process being biased too much as well.

So for instance in the case of my ex, I might ask her what she was trying to do in some situation to see whether my conclusions were correct. However she has refused to discuss absolutely anything that happened so I am left with my own - possibly faulty - possibly motivated - reasoning/memory/perception.

(Hope that was ok)

[olethros.livejournal.com]

My first step, that I'm aware of, is to try to understand the other person's reasoning (before concentrating too hard on my own.) Even if they're not present to ask, it's possible to think through why they might reach a known conclusion that's different from my own, by making the assumption that we are both reasonable people with different pressures and giving them the benefit of any doubt in that process.

Presto, I've just constructed a counterargument to my position, which I can compare with my own. This has a multitude of uses. If it's convincing, then it'll likely show a weakness in my own reasoning. If it's not convincing (having been given the benefit of the doubt of any evidence) then it becomes much easier for me to construct a convincing rebuttal. And if it turns out to be a good, honest difference of taste or opinion between two reasonable people, it makes it much clearer to me where there might be avenues for compromise that we can both swallow.

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

Writing stuff down in ways that promote dispassionate reasoning helps me - which can be very heavyweight thinking skills stuff, or just a list of pluses and minuses on the back of an envelope. When it really matters, I try to ask the opinion of someone who I know to have a contrary motivation (ideally), or at least is substantially less committed to the desired conclusion than I am.

I don't do anything systematic to try to reduce my tendency to this sort of error in daily life, though - mainly because I think my personal besetting sins in this regard are more around things like spending longer on consideration than the question really merits, being indecisive in situations where a not-obviously-wrong answer delivered quickly is better than the Right answer delivered after full consideration, and giving people with objectionable views the benefit of the doubt for far longer than is just.

[ruis.livejournal.com]

Allowing myself to be indecisive or unsure helps me. Otherwise I need to be 'right' by the shortest route possible.