Many television viewers are impressed by "psychic mediums" who pretend to communicate with the deceased friends and relatives of audience members. Typically,the viewers will
Remember the apparent "hits," or correct statements made by the "mediums," while ignoring
The "misses," or incorrect statements.This tendency is referred to as
A) the Barnum effect.
B) the confirmation bias.
C) the astrologer's dilemma.
D) uncritical acceptance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tendency to remember hits and ignore misses is a clear example of confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek out and remember information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs and hypotheses. The Barnum effect refers to the phenomenon where people believe that generic or vague personality descriptions apply specifically to them, while the astrologer's dilemma is a concept from astronomy where the position of planets and stars can be difficult to determine accurately. Uncritical acceptance refers to the uncritical acceptance of improbable or unsupported claims.

Many Television Viewers Are Impressed by "Psychic Mediums" Who Pretend