Imagine that as a parent you believe your child absolutely loves gymnastics and enjoys every minute of every session. Whenever you watch a session you will tend to place more importance on the moments when your child is smiling, happy, bouncing around and engaged with other gymnasts and/or coaches.
Alternatively, have you developed a belief that coaches/young leaders aren't engaging effectively with the children during sessions. When you watch a session you will be seeking information to confirm this belief, e.g. they are on their phone, hands in pockets, chatting with other coaches.
We tend to place more importance on the “evidence” that supports what we already believe.
The way we search for information - we look for positive evidence that supports our expectations.
The way we interpret information - we interpret information differently to the people around us.
The way we recall information - we remember past events or experiences in different ways.
How can you build awareness and challenge your biases?
Seek different perspectives to broaden your understanding - challenge yourself to spend time with and around people who have differing viewpoints and perspectives to you.
Use a range of sources - Am to make judgements based on a number of sources, read around, and avoid relying on just one.
Consider alternative outlooks - For example to expand your thinking you can aim to try different perspectives, these may provide different reasons and solutions.
Where did your assumptions come from - Question the origins of your assumptions, what kickstarted them, what has reinforced them and are they effective.
Remain open to changing assumptions - Explore new information. Engage in discussions with different parents. Take time to understand your child's perspective, and/or their coaches views.
Embrace a Growth Mindset - We talk about this a lot for athletes, by remaining open to new information and adjusting based on evolving information we can break down our biases and shift where we focus our attention.
Remember...
Implementing these ideas can enhance your understanding and help you learn how to overcome confirmation bias or at the very least learn to take the little opportunities to think differently.
This content has been developed as part of our #itsmyjourney project with Valleys Gymnastics Academy.
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