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Cognitive therapy is a psychological approach designed to address distortions in thinking, which can lead to negative emotions and unrealistic beliefs. These cognitive distortions often influence how individuals interpret and respond to situations, exacerbating emotional distress. Below are some prevalent cognitive distortions, their characteristics, and examples of how they manifest in thought processes.
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The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
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According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
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Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) are grounded in the belief that our thoughts profoundly influence our emotions and actions. Advocates of CBT emphasize three core assumptions: first, that cognitions are identifiable and measurable; second, that they are central to psychological functioning; and third, that irrational or maladaptive beliefs can be replaced with rational and adaptive ones. This transformative approach to therapy has paved the way for specific models such as Albert...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 22, 2025

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling
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How explanation guides belief change.

Igor Douven1

  • 1IHPST/CNRS, 13 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris, France.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|August 28, 2021
PubMed
Summary

People should update beliefs using Bayes' rule, but psychology shows we often don't, favoring explanations instead. Computational modeling suggests these belief-updating violations might be rational after all.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Bayesian Epistemology

Background:

  • Philosophical traditions advocate for belief revision through Bayes' rule.
  • Psychological research reveals systematic deviations from Bayesian principles in human judgment.
  • Explanatory factors are often prioritized over statistical evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the rationality of human belief updating when explanatory factors are considered.
  • To reconcile observed psychological biases with normative philosophical standards.
  • To explore the implications of computational modeling for understanding belief revision.

Main Methods:

  • Review of philosophical arguments for Bayesian belief revision.
  • Analysis of psychological studies on judgment and decision-making.
Keywords:
Bayes’ ruleNew Paradigm psychology of reasoningbelief changeexplanatory reasoninginferenceprobability

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  • Application of computational modeling to simulate belief updating processes.

    • Main Results:

    • Observed violations of Bayes' rule in belief updating are common in psychological studies.
    • Computational models indicate that attending to explanatory factors can be a rational strategy.
    • Deviations from strict Bayesian updating may serve adaptive cognitive functions.

    Conclusions:

    • The normative standard of Bayes' rule may not fully capture rational belief change.
    • Psychological tendencies to prioritize explanations could represent a rational heuristic.
    • Further research is needed to integrate computational findings with philosophical and psychological perspectives on belief revision.