FAA Commercial Pilot Airplane (CAX)Human Factors and ADMHard
A pilot receiving a weather briefing hears a forecast for possible thunderstorms along the route but focuses only on the portion of the briefing mentioning scattered clouds and good visibility, later telling a friend, 'The briefer said the weather looked fine.' This selective interpretation of the briefing is an example of which decision-making hazard?
- AResignation
- BConfirmation bias
- CPlan continuation bias
- DPeer pressure
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias occurs when a person selectively focuses on information that supports a preexisting belief or desired outcome (wanting the weather to be good) while disregarding contradictory data, such as the thunderstorm forecast.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Resignation involves feeling that actions don't matter, unrelated to selective information processing.
- C. Plan continuation bias involves sticking with an original plan despite changing conditions during a flight, not selectively interpreting a briefing.
- D. Peer pressure involves social influence from other people, not selective self-interpretation of data.
Confirmation Bias
The tendency to notice, focus on, and remember information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or desires while disregarding contradictory evidence.
- Can cause pilots to underweight hazardous weather or mechanical clues
- Often paired with 'wishful thinking' about flight conditions
- Countered by deliberately seeking disconfirming information before deciding
Memory trick: Hearing only what you want to hear is confirmation bias.