What psychological tendency leads people to favor information that confirms their existing beliefs?

Confirmation bias refers to the psychological tendency where individuals preferentially seek out, interpret, and remember information that aligns with their preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while disregarding or minimizing information that contradicts them. This cognitive bias can lead to distorted thinking and reinforce existing beliefs, making it challenging to accept new evidence or viewpoints. In various contexts, such as in political beliefs, social issues, or even personal relationships, confirmation bias can significantly influence decision-making and opinion formation.

The other biases mentioned, while related to decision-making and perception, do not specifically address the tendency to favor information confirming existing beliefs. Hindsight bias involves the inclination to see past events as having been predictable, framing effect pertains to how information is presented and how that influences decision-making, and overconfidence bias relates to an individual's subjective confidence in their judgments being greater than their objective accuracy.