Cognitive Biases Defined Simply
Cognitive biases are systematic thinking errors affecting everyone. Your brain uses mental shortcuts for speed, but these create predictable mistakes.
What has been corrected on this page?
Every accepted correction to this page is recorded with the exact change, so readers can see how the page improved over time.
-
Corrected the description of the 'backfire effect': the original claim that contradictory evidence reliably strengthens belief has largely failed to replicate in later, larger-scale studies (for example Wood and Porter, 2019), which found corrections usually work as intended and backfiring is an uncommon exception rather than the typical response. The Barber and Odean (2000, Journal of Finance) disposition-effect study (66,465 households, 1991-1996) was verified accurate and left in place.
What the page claimedThe article presented the backfire effect (corrections reliably strengthening the original belief) as an established, general finding.
What was correctedUpdated the description to reflect that later replications found backfiring to be rare, with corrections usually working as intended.
Why: The original backfire-effect research has substantially failed to replicate at scale, a well-documented case in the replication-crisis literature. Correction updates the claim to the current evidence rather than adding new sources.
View the full record →
Who checked this page?
1 contributor has checked "Cognitive Biases Defined Simply" on When Notes Fly. Each name below links to that person's public CitePep profile, where every contribution they have made is listed with the exact change they proposed.