An example of the destructive potential of confirmation bias was exposed in the 1990s when many innocent childcare center workers were sent to prison with decades-long sentences for child sexual abuse based on interviews with children that were tainted by interviewer bias.
Once these faulty interviews were exposed, it became clear that the children’s dramatic statements were fabrications that grew out of interviewing techniques. (Such as: “We know ____ hurt you. When you tell us the truth, then you can go home.”) The innocent workers were released, and thorough interviewer training was implemented to avoid these mistakes in future cases.
Read more: Interviewing Children
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