Final answer:
The cognitive distortion of focusing on a minor detail while ignoring more significant aspects of an event is known as selective abstraction. Such biases, like confirmation bias and anchoring bias, can significantly influence our decisions and perceptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cognitive distortion that consists of forming conclusions based on an isolated detail of an event is d. selective abstraction. Selective abstraction is a cognitive bias where an individual focuses on a single, often minor, detail of an event while ignoring other more significant information. This can lead to an incorrect or incomplete understanding of the situation. For example, if someone has a generally successful day but makes a minor mistake, they may focus solely on the error and conclude that their entire day was a failure.
Other cognitive biases include confirmation bias, which is the tendency to seek information that affirms pre-existing beliefs, and anchoring bias, where an individual relies too heavily on an initial piece of information to make subsequent judgments. Cognitive biases such as these can influence decisions and perceptions, often beyond our conscious awareness, leading us away from logical or reasoned conclusions.