Confirmation bias is the tendency for an individual to interpret and seek out only information that confirms or validates their existing beliefs. It can be an effect of psychological factors, such as the need for social acceptance or to maintain one's self-image, and can impede an individual's capacity to objectively consider data or evidence that contradicts or clashes with their own point of view. Confirmation bias reduces an individual's potential to learn from new input and can lead to the persistence of false beliefs.

See also: decision making, collective action, collective intelligence, conflict theory, coordination failure