The operation of confirmation bias : discourse analysis of witnesses' evidence about the conduct of a sexual abuser : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2018
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Massey University
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Abstract
Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias where beliefs formed at an early stage are
unreasonably sustained even in the face of new information that makes those
beliefs untenable or at least questionable. In these circumstances, new
information that does not fit with the earlier-formed beliefs may be ignored, while
information supporting those beliefs is accepted readily as lending credence to
them. During 2010 and 2011, Jonathan Lord was employed by the YMCA in New
South Wales, Australia, until a child disclosed that he had been inappropriate
touched by Mr Lord. This led to Mr Lord being convicted of 13 representative
offences including multiple aggravated indecent assault charges and two counts
of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, relating to 12 children enrolled in the
YMCA Before and After School Care service. Subsequently, several of the
children's parents, and some of Mr Lord's YMCA co-workers, gave evidence to
the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that
was conducted in Australia from 2012 to 2017. This study shows how
confirmation bias may lead to tragic or destructive outcomes in some
circumstances. The use of discourse analysis in this study has afforded a 'micro
context' understanding of how Mr Lord's abuse of children associated with the
YMCA service persisted undetected for more than a year, despite Mr Lord
breaching YMCA rules and being observed engaging in other questionable
conduct regarding children in that period.
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Keywords
Child molesters, Australia, Case studies, Child care workers, Witnesses, Evidence, Prejudices, Decision-making