confirmation bias, which occurs when you look only for information to confirm your position and ignore any conflicting data. Let's say you are shopping for a car, and you're already leaning toward a particular brand. you will tend to focus on all of the positive information you hear or read about that brand and filter negative information that does not support your leaning.

the same bias occurs in our relationships with others. if we have already decided we like a particular person or coworker, we do not judge his or her behaviours as harsely as we may someone we like less. managers have been taught for years to be concerned with "the halo effect" when preparing employee ratings. the halo effect tends to filter perceptions so that the manager perceives only positive information because he or she had a positive bias toward the employee. no wonder claims of favoritism arises. likewise, if you view a particular coworker in a negative light sometimes called " the horn effect", you will look for information that confirms your bias. from an emotional intelligence point of view, this information can have an important impact that will set the stage for your encounters with that person. each encounter is an opportunity to prove your bias. and more often than not, this information will be based on first impressions that are difficult to overcome.