Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) Practice Exam

The phrase "You just hear what you want to hear" is most closely associated with confirmation bias. This cognitive concept refers to the tendency of individuals to favor information that confirms their existing beliefs, preferences, or expectations, while disregarding or minimizing evidence that contradicts them.

In this context, when someone "hears what they want to hear," it indicates that they are selectively interpreting information in a way that aligns with their preconceived notions rather than objectively assessing all available information. Confirmation bias can manifest in various ways, including focusing on supportive examples while ignoring those that challenge one's perspective.

While the other cognitive concepts—such as cognitive dissonance, myside bias, and self-serving bias—also relate to how we process information and make judgments, they do not specifically encapsulate the idea of selectively hearing or interpreting information based on pre-existing beliefs quite like confirmation bias does. For instance, cognitive dissonance involves the discomfort one feels when confronted with conflicting beliefs, whereas myside bias pertains to the tendency to evaluate evidence in a way that supports one's own viewpoint. Self-serving bias involves attributing successes to oneself and failures to external factors, which is not directly related to the selective hearing implied in the original phrase.