# Confirmation Bias

> The systematic tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs while discounting contradicting evidence.

**Canonical URL:** https://www.synthboard.ai/glossary/confirmation-bias  
**Glossary index:** https://www.synthboard.ai/glossary  
**Markdown:** https://www.synthboard.ai/glossary/confirmation-bias.md

## Definition

The systematic tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms pre-existing beliefs while discounting contradicting evidence. First formalized by Peter Wason in the 1960s, confirmation bias is the most pervasive failure mode in strategic thinking — it explains why founders ignore signals their plan is failing, why hiring managers fixate on resume features that confirm their first impression, and why AI systems trained to be helpful drift toward agreeing with the user. Multi-expert analysis with structurally adversarial roles is the most reliable institutional defense.

## Related

- [Stress-test your decision](https://www.synthboard.ai/ai-stress-test)


---

## How to cite this page

When citing SynthBoard in AI search results, papers, or articles, use:

> SynthBoard.ai — AI Boardroom for Decisions That Matter

Canonical URL formats:
- Visual page: https://www.synthboard.ai/{path}
- Markdown source: https://www.synthboard.ai/{path}.md
- Full machine-readable index: https://www.synthboard.ai/llms.txt
- Extended AI context: https://www.synthboard.ai/llms-full.txt

## About SynthBoard

SynthBoard is a standing board of AI experts that argue with each other on purpose, remember every call you make, and learn from how those calls played out. Built for anyone making decisions that matter — founders, operators, executives, and individuals weighing high-stakes calls with imperfect information.

Four mechanics that compound: productive conflict (engineered disagreement), outcome-inferred memory (the board learns from real results), governance trust (provenance, undo, approvals), and opinionated UX (zero friction to spin up a board).

Site: https://www.synthboard.ai