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Describe the relationship between confirmation bias and affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent.

MCQ Options:
a. Confirmation bias is unrelated to affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent.
b. Confirmation bias is a type of affirming the antecedent.
c. Confirmation bias is a type of denying the consequent.
d. Affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent are unrelated to reasoning biases.

User Cornelb
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Final answer:

Confirmation bias is a cognitive tendency that affects various judgments and decisions, whereas affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent are specific logical fallacies that demonstrate flawed reasoning which can be influenced by a person's preexisting beliefs or biases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between confirmation bias and the logical constructs of affirming the antecedent and denying the consequent can be complex. Confirmation bias is the cognitive tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions, thereby affecting one's thinking and decision-making processes. This bias aligns somewhat with the fallacy of affirming the antecedent, which is incorrectly accepting that if 'P implies Q' is true, the existence of 'Q' proves 'P'. Similarly, it relates to the fallacy of denying the consequent, where one might incorrectly assume that if 'P implies Q' is true, the absence of 'Q' means 'P' also cannot exist. Both fallacies demonstrate flawed reasoning which can be influenced by a person's preexisting beliefs or biases, which confirmation bias strongly feeds into.

Nonetheless, confirmation bias directly results in a person seeking out and giving more weight to evidence that supports their current beliefs or hypotheses, and disregards or underestimates evidence that could refute them. This is a broader cognitive bias that affects all sorts of judgments and decisions, not just logical reasoning.

User RJ Alten
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