Overcoming Bias

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More Disagreement Is Far

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More Disagreement Is Far

Robin Hanson
Aug 6, 2011
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More Disagreement Is Far

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More evidence that we tend to be less truth-oriented in far mode:

[Researchers] found participants were more persuaded to change their opinion after receiving concrete, detailed messages from a spatially near rather than distant source. These results fit well with recent [Near-Far] work on distancing and persuasion, which found that persuasion was highest when participants experienced a small (as opposed to large) amount of distance and received low-level, concrete (rather than high-level, abstract) persuasive messages. …

[Researchers] found that participants were less affected and less likely to seek information about a potential unpleasant truth (e.g., missing an opportunity on the stock market) when it concerned a distant rather than near situation (i.e., foreign vs. local company). (more)

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More Disagreement Is Far

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More Disagreement Is Far

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Overcoming Bias Commenter
May 15

I would be curious to know how this is affected by people who have been a 'scientist' or 'rationalist' as part of their identity. You'd think in far mode they would at least to some extent be more inclined to adjust their views.

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Overcoming Bias Commenter
May 15

Brings to mind the "View of the World from Ninth Avenue" cover.

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