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Your Surroundings Mirror Your Beliefs

Michael Young, an associate professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, noted that the study itself is revealing: it points to examples of bias toward conservatism -- including mentions of Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney -- without looking at the other side.

"It is always easier for us to identify these biases that suggest close-mindedness in others than it is to identify them in ourselves or those who agree with us, even if you are a scientist who studies bias," he said.

Peter H. Ditto, a psychology professor at the University of California at Irvine, said the study "confirms a lot of previous scientific work -- and conforms nicely to most people's intuitions."

Ditto said, "We are not rational information processors -- or information seekers. We perceive ourselves as seekers of the truth. We don't try to just seek out information that will confirm our beliefs, otherwise we would see our own illicit hand in constructing a biased truth. But when we go looking for the truth, we usually look toward places and people that are likely to believe as we believe."

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Susan Cody

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