Social Media and Your Brain
Ever have an argument with someone, and no matter how many facts you provide, you just can’t get that person to see it your way? One big reason for this is cognitive bias, which is a limitation in our thinking that can cause flaws in our judgement.
So if we can’t use facts to defeat confirmation bias, what else can we do? The first step is to recognize that when it comes to your own beliefs, you have this bias, too. It’s also important to recognize that you may not fully understand something as well as you think you do. When it comes to controversial topics, researching the other side of the issue may make you realize that YOUR understanding of the issue might be incomplete. Confirmation bias is a certain type of cognitive bias that motivates us to seek out information we already believe and ignore or minimize facts that threaten what we believe.
TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices.
Learn More…
ARTICLE: This Is Your Brain On Fake News (Salon)
ARTICLE: Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds (The New Yorker)
ARTICLE: How To Get People To Overcome Their Bias (BBC)
ABOVE THE NOISE, a YouTube series from KQED, follows young journalists as they investigate real world issues that impact young people’s lives. These short videos prompt critical thinking with middle and high school students to spark civic engagement. Join hosts Myles Bess and Shirin Ghaffary for new episodes published every Wednesday on YouTube.