Heads-up, this is another thread in which I would like to explore and think through the impact of psychological constructs and how it affects our choices and experiences. Now I have been given fatherly advice, and I have been wrapped over the knuckles and even been warned that my line of questioning could be bad for business, but my inquisitiveness keeps me from heeding the good advice 
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I guess my view is that if the topic is not interesting or too controversial, skip it and go to another topic of higher interest or more personal value. My main interest and the golden thread between all my posts is just one central idea/question: What role do our mind and emotions play when we engage with the hobby in decision-making, selecting and experiencing systems and products?
Confirmation bias is a well-known principle often discussed on audiophile forums, also referenced in this forum. In essence, as I understand, it implies we are selective in what data we register(it could be facts from science, understanding and interpreting facts and data, or even what we experience on a personal level and how we also often judge equipment) in line with our belief system. Those from an empirical perspective often use confirmation bias in their arguments that price influences what an enthusiast might hear. A thick cable is rated highly because of its appearance, and so on. There could be very little doubt that confirmation bias is a powerful mechanism at play in views, judgments, and experiences. Being human, we probably cannot escape the influence, only mitigate it to some degree, as I have argued in a different thread by being explicitly clear about our beliefs and their impact on our experiences.
So what are some other instances where this principle is at play?
.I guess my view is that if the topic is not interesting or too controversial, skip it and go to another topic of higher interest or more personal value. My main interest and the golden thread between all my posts is just one central idea/question: What role do our mind and emotions play when we engage with the hobby in decision-making, selecting and experiencing systems and products?
Confirmation bias is a well-known principle often discussed on audiophile forums, also referenced in this forum. In essence, as I understand, it implies we are selective in what data we register(it could be facts from science, understanding and interpreting facts and data, or even what we experience on a personal level and how we also often judge equipment) in line with our belief system. Those from an empirical perspective often use confirmation bias in their arguments that price influences what an enthusiast might hear. A thick cable is rated highly because of its appearance, and so on. There could be very little doubt that confirmation bias is a powerful mechanism at play in views, judgments, and experiences. Being human, we probably cannot escape the influence, only mitigate it to some degree, as I have argued in a different thread by being explicitly clear about our beliefs and their impact on our experiences.
So what are some other instances where this principle is at play?
- For example, could it be that if we believe that science will provide the answers, will we, after consulting ASR and finding a DAC that has perfectly decent numbers, start to like the sound of the DAC as well? Seeing the numbers and believing that it matters, will we twist our reality so that we find agreement in this situation?
- Could it be that by buying into a brand, we overlook less-than-stellar designs within the brand and find that we like all its products? Are we open to outliers, both good and rotten tomatoes, within a brand? (@achim commented in a previous thread that not all attempts of an artist are successful. Some recordings, even by good recording engineers, suck etc. I agree 100% with this good insight, but then equally, not all products from the same designer are equal?)
- What about a favourable review from a reviewer that has a similar belief system as you do? Could your experience of given products be influenced by confirmation bias?
- As for cables, do we believe that science rules and cables are snake oil, and therefore, we don't hear differences?
