Factors affecting the belief bias

The belief bias involves much variability, meaning that various factors, such as age, religious beliefs, working memory, and general cognitive ability can all affect the likelihood that people will experience the belief bias, as well as the way and degree to which they will do so.

In addition, the nature of arguments can also affect the likelihood that people will experience the belief bias. This includes, for example, whether an argument is emotionally charged, and whether the reasoning involved is difficult for people to understand.

The belief bias is a cognitive bias that causes people to over-rely on preexisting beliefs and knowledge when evaluating the conclusions of an argument, instead of properly considering the argument’s content and structure.