Belief perseverance persists even when evidence establishing it is shown false

Evidence

Once a person has worked through the arguments that led him to a conclusion, he is likely to conserve his resources by not reexamining it unless he has to. As the reasons that originally led to the policy erode, they often are gradually replaced by new and sometimes incompatible ones. Thus, an experience-induced belief can persevere even when the person is told that the evidence which established it is false (see Jervis, 1976; Ross, Lepper, & Hubbard, 1975). — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2586

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Desired conclusions retroactively validate whatever evidence seems to support them; Theory contradicting facts remains true when the facts are mystified. — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the…, 688; Belief in advertising’s power grew from salient successes despite weak proof — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 488 (+10 more)