Confirmation Bias when re-doing sections Forum

[SunDevil14]

I am curious of whether confirmation basis is a common problem when redoing sections, or a more unique personal issue. Specifically, when I redo sections that I had previously struggled on in the past, I find myself doing poorly in the present. The sections in question are marked up, with the answers circled and other choices crossed out. Although I attempt to erase the markings, they are still visible. Whether consciously or unconsciously I seem to select the marked answer with greater frequency, and give less thought to some of the answers that I crossed out on the first attempt. Furthermore, I feel very confident in my performance before I grade the section and realize I did poorly, and far outside my usual norms of performance. I believe a confirmation bias may be at play, rather than a lack of knowledge/skill. I assume that given fresh section from a PT within the same year I would do much better.

Thoughts?

[guynourmin]

How are you using the term confirmation bias here? I'm confused.

[SunDevil14]

Confirmation Bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way.

Sorry, it's a psychology term. I should have explained it more. The main idea being that the bias above is absent from fresh sections and test.

[poptart123]

Just pick the right answer the first time..

You probably just fall into the same trap twice. On the questions you keep missing (see if maybe it's a certain type(s)), try to study a little closer and determine what game the test wants you to play.

[guynourmin]

Confirmation Bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way.

Sorry, it's a psychology term. I should have explained it more. The main idea being that the bias above is absent from fresh sections and test.

What are you preexisting beliefs in this situation? Are you saying you're picking the same wrong answers you picked last time because you remember thinking they are right?

[MKC]

Confirmation Bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way.

Sorry, it's a psychology term. I should have explained it more. The main idea being that the bias above is absent from fresh sections and test.

What are you preexisting beliefs in this situation? Are you saying you're picking the same wrong answers you picked last time because you remember thinking they are right?

OP is reusing the actual test pages, not just the question.

OP - PDFs exist - Find PTs in PDF format and print fresh ones each time.

[SunDevil14]

Confirmation Bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way.

Sorry, it's a psychology term. I should have explained it more. The main idea being that the bias above is absent from fresh sections and test.

What are you preexisting beliefs in this situation? Are you saying you're picking the same wrong answers you picked last time because you remember thinking they are right?

OP is reusing the actual test pages, not just the question.

OP - PDFs exist - Find PTs in PDF format and print fresh ones each time.

^Precisely. Thanks. These days I score roughly 170. For whatever reasons or another, when I see an answer circled I assume that it is likely right without too much thought, whether that be familiarity or confirmation basis. The same applies to incorrect answers that I have crossed off.

I will print off PDFs and see if the problem persists, though I do not think It will.

[peachyjade]

Do you run into this issue on all sections?

I also re-use tests but when I drill I always use the ones without markings--it is too distracting for me otherwise. LG isn't an issue. For LR it depends on how thoroughly I reviewed that question in the past or how "impressed" I felt when I last did it (e.g. a very interesting stimulus or an unusual answer for Flaw questions). For RC, I do an initial "screen" to weed out the ones where I can recall the content just by a glimpse of the first paragraph.

If I catch myself relying on my memory during a timed section, I'd mark it and return to it after the timed section and make myself go through the answer choices one by one.

Overall, I think using unmarked copies make a huge difference.

[r2d2111]

Why don't you circle every answer before attempting the test for the second time? It will make each answer equally "attractive," thus eliminating the "bias."

[Law2020hopeful]

Why don't you circle every answer before attempting the test for the second time? It will make each answer equally "attractive," thus eliminating the "bias."

^^ This is a great idea!