People who believe that aliens have come to Earth may disregard evidence that crop circles are human-made. This is an example of

• A. a representative heuristic.
• B. confirmation bias.
• C. functional fixedness.
• D. insight.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Begin by understanding the concept of 'confirmation bias'. It refers to the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.
2. Consider the scenario: People who believe that aliens have come to Earth may disregard evidence that crop circles are human-made. This suggests they are favoring information that supports their belief in aliens.
3. Analyze why this behavior aligns with confirmation bias. The individuals are ignoring or dismissing evidence that contradicts their belief, which is a hallmark of confirmation bias.
4. Contrast this with other concepts mentioned: 'representative heuristic' involves making judgments based on how similar something is to a prototype, 'functional fixedness' is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used, and 'insight' refers to a sudden realization of a problem's solution.
5. Conclude that the behavior described in the problem is best explained by confirmation bias, as it involves selectively accepting information that supports a preexisting belief while disregarding contradictory evidence.