Thinking, Fast and Slow · chapter 7 · id thinking-fast-and-slow-c7-02-people-systematically-seek-con
“People systematically seek confirming evidence for their existing beliefs rather than trying to falsify them (confirmation bias), as demonstrated by Wason's 2-4-6 task.”
holdsconfidence: high✓ ZHP-verified + red-teamed
Receipts
Wason (1960), Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 12(3)DOI registry: valid
Participants given the triple 2-4-6 overwhelmingly tested triples consistent with their initial hypothesis rather than trying to falsify it. N=29.
Nickerson (1998), Review of General Psychology 2(2)DOI registry: valid
Comprehensive review establishing confirmation bias as ubiquitous across many domains: hypothesis testing, medical diagnosis, legal reasoning, and everyday judgment.
Klayman & Ha (1987), Psychological Review 94(2)DOI registry: valid
Positive test strategy (testing expected-positive cases) is often rational in real-world environments. The 'bias' emerges specifically when the true rule is broader than the hypothesis, as in Wason's task.
This claim is a stable, citable object. If you can falsify a verdict, tell us — corrections are loud here.