Final answer:
The logical fallacy 'post hoc, ergo propter hoc' is the erroneous belief that if one event follows another, the first must have caused the second, often reinforced by confirmation bias.
Step-by-step explanation:
The logical fallacy post hoc, ergo propter hoc is a type of false cause fallacy that is characterized by the mistaken belief that because one event happens after another, the first event must be the cause of the second. This phrase is Latin for "after this, therefore because of this". It's a common reasoning error and can lead to superstitions or incorrect conclusions. For instance, a sports fan might believe that their team wins due to them wearing a specific item of clothing, simply because they notice a pattern where the team wins when they wear it. This belief is strengthened by confirmation bias, where the person remembers only the occurrences that support their belief, and ignores cases that do not.
An example of this fallacy results from misinterpreting correlation for causation, which leads to many superstitious beliefs that are not based on factual evidence.