Janet Macaluso explains how your existing beliefs filter what you notice in new information, then that selective attention reinforces the original belief. If you think Joe is a jerk, you'll spot evidence that confirms it and miss the rest.
Of, let's say we're thinking of someone and we think the guy is a jerk. As an example. Well, that's our, like, high level belief on the ladder. And this is called a reflexive loop. What that means is that the beliefs that I have affect the next piece of data that I choose. So next week, when I see Joe in a meeting, he might be doing all these things, but I'm going to choose one piece of data that he was talking loudly, and then I'm going to say, that confirms it. He's a jerk. So what happens is, and this is part of our brains, it's the reticular activating system, part of your eyes, the retina that we see what we value and what we think. So all this different data, I believe Joe's a jerk. So I select one piece of data that confirms that.
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