HYPOTHESIS CONFIRMATION - THE JOINT EFFECT OF POSITIVE TEST STRATEGY AND ACQUIESCENCE RESPONSE SET

Hypothesis testers tend to ask hypothesis-consistent questions (i.e., they ask about features more likely under the hypothesis than under th e alternative). Targets tend to acquiesce (i.e., they provide more yes than no answers). Because yes answers to hypothesis-consistent questi ons confirm the hypothesis being tested, hypothesis testers should gen erate hypothesis-confirming data. In the present study, naive hypothes is testers questioned naive targets about their personality traits and , on the basis of targets' answers, drew conclusions about these trait s. As predicted, hypothesis testers tended to ask hypothesis-consisten t questions, targets tended to acquiesce, and the data generated were consistent with the hypothesis being tested. On the basis of these dat a, hypothesis testers drew inferences in line with the hypothesis they were testing. Because hypothesis testers derived their conclusions fr om hypothesis-confirming data, more diagnostic data resulted in a grea ter confirmation bias.