People seek truth, but are partial to like-minded views

WASHINGTON - People swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what they see and hear. A new analysis of dozens of studies shows that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors, however, can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.

The analysis was conducted by researchers at the Universities of Illinois and Florida, and included data from 91 studies based on responses from nearly 8,000 participants.

It puts to rest a longstanding debate over whether people actively avoid information that contradicts what they believe, or whether they are simply exposed more often to ideas that conform to their own because they tend to be surrounded by like-minded people.

“We wanted to see exactly across the board to what extent people are willing to seek out the truth versus just stay comfortable with what they know,” said University of Illinois psychology professor Dolores Albarracn, who led the study with her colleague from Florida.

The studies they reviewed generally asked participants about their views on a given topic and then allowed them to choose whether they wanted to view or read information supporting their own or an opposing point of view.

The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select information that supports their own point of view (67 percent) as to consider an opposing idea (33 percent), said an Illinois release.

Certain individuals, those with close-minded personalities, are even more reluctant to expose themselves to differing perspectives, Albarracn said. They will opt for the information that corresponds to their views nearly 75 percent of the time.

The researchers also found, not surprisingly, that people are more resistant to new points of view when their own ideas are associated with political, religious or ethical values.

“If you are really committed to your own attitude - for example, if you are a very committed Democrat - you are more likely to seek congenial information, that is, information that corresponds with your views,” Albarracn said.

Perhaps more surprisingly, people who have little confidence in their own beliefs are less likely to expose themselves to contrary views than people who are very confident in their own ideas, Albarracn added.

These findings were published in Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.