Need help finding a term in English

[NIKOLIĆ]

I'm looking for a term that describes the act of only looking for and using arguments that support your claim, while turning a blind eye to everything that might refute it, something akin to "cherry picking". I heard it a couple of days ago, but I can't remember where. I think it stars with "selective (something)".

[Glarus Girl]

Do you mean 'selective attention' ?

[DaveBee]

I'm looking for a term that describes the act of only looking for and using arguments that support your claim, while turning a blind eye to everything that might refute it, something akin to "cherry picking". I heard it a couple of days ago, but I can't remember where. I think it stars with "selective (something)".

Selection bias?

Selection bias is the selection of individuals, groups or data for analysis in such a way that proper randomization is not achieved, thereby ensuring that the sample obtained is not representative of the population intended to be analyzed.[1] It is sometimes referred to as the selection effect. The phrase "selection bias" most often refers to the distortion of a statistical analysis, resulting from the method of collecting samples. If the selection bias is not taken into account, then some conclusions of the study may not be accurate.

[orangetuesday]

I think he means 'selective bias'.

At first it reminded me of 'confirmation bias' in relation to the Facebook news stream - which has reportedly been increasing people's 'confirmation biases' by providing them news that reinforces their opinions.

[NIKOLIĆ]

Do you mean 'selective attention' ?

Selection bias?

Selection bias is the selection of individuals, groups or data for analysis in such a way that proper randomization is not achieved, thereby ensuring that the sample obtained is not representative of the population intended to be analyzed.[1] It is sometimes referred to as the selection effect. The phrase "selection bias" most often refers to the distortion of a statistical analysis, resulting from the method of collecting samples. If the selection bias is not taken into account, then some conclusions of the study may not be accurate.

Thank you both for your help. I used the terms that you posted to further my google search and I was able to find what I was looking for, although "selection bias" and "confirmation bias" seem pretty close.

Selective use of evidence
Selective use of evidence to support viewpoints

[hhiusa]

Do you mean 'selective attention' ?

Selection bias?

Selection bias is the selection of individuals, groups or data for analysis in such a way that proper randomization is not achieved, thereby ensuring that the sample obtained is not representative of the population intended to be analyzed.[1] It is sometimes referred to as the selection effect. The phrase "selection bias" most often refers to the distortion of a statistical analysis, resulting from the method of collecting samples. If the selection bias is not taken into account, then some conclusions of the study may not be accurate.

Thank you both for your help. I used the terms that you posted to further my google search and I was able to find what I was looking for, although "selection bias" and "confirmation bias" seem pretty close.

Selective use of evidence
Selective use of evidence to support viewpoints

There are many good websites on fallacies. There is also ad hoc fallacy. Applying a reasoning after the fact to support a claim, similar to confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias and selection bias are different. Selection bias can lead to confirmation bias, but not always. Selection bias is choosing starting data in the hopes that it will confirm you bias, but that may not happen. Confirmation bias is much more similar to cherry picking. The researcher uses only the data that confirms his bias. It does not mean that there was selection bias.

[Tomás]

Not what you're looking for, but this is one of my favorite recent neologisms in that realm: Andrew Gelman references "The Garden of Forking Paths" to describe how scientists can make false discoveries when they do not pre-specify a data analysis plan and instead choose "one analysis for the particular data they saw."

Inspired by the Borges story:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Forking_Paths

[yong321]

I know the answer to your question has already been found. I want to add that in your article, you may also point out that there are two attitudes to a research, a scientist's (I mean an honest scientist's), and a lawyer's. A lawyer is legally permissible and even professionally recommended to have confirmation bias; if he finds evidence supporting his opponent's argument, he will and must not produce it at the court in defense of his own client. But a scientist must actively deal with such evidence, or his research paper may be rejected for incompleteness.