Why do people support their past ideas, even when presented with evidence that they're wrong?

The 

Commitment Bias

, explained.
Bias

What is the Commitment Bias?

Commitment bias, also known as the escalation of commitment, describes our tendency to remain committed to our past behaviors, particularly those exhibited publicly, even if they do not have desirable outcomes.

An illustration of two stick figures in a gunfight. One figure is lying on the ground, wounded, and says, "Best two out of three?" The scene is labeled "Commitment Bias."

Where this bias occurs

Imagine you’re wrapping up your first year of university, majoring in anatomy and cell biology. Your goal has always been to attend medical school and become a doctor, so it came as no surprise to anyone when this was the path you chose.

During your first semester, you enrolled in an elective course about the history of modern Europe. While you didn’t necessarily dislike your core anatomy classes, you found yourself deeply engaged in the history elective that you took on a whim. You enjoyed it so much, in fact, that you decided to take a couple of other history courses in your second semester and dedicated your free time to researching the concepts discussed in class. Throughout the year, a voice in the back of your mind has been pushing you to change your major and to get a Bachelor of Arts in history. However, this decision goes against your long-term goals and everything you’ve ever said about yourself. There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind, yet you feel pressured to keep things consistent. Your hesitation to change your major, even though it’s what you truly want to do, is the result of commitment bias.

Related Biases

Sources

  1. Staw, B. M. (1976). Knee-deep in the big muddy: a study of escalating commitment to a chosen course of action. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(1), 27–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90005-2
  2. See 1
  3. Festinger, L. (1962). A theory of cognitive dissonance (Ser. Mass communication series (voice of america), 2). Stanford University Press.
  4. See 1
  5. See 1
  6. Influence at Work. (n.d.). Principles of Persuasion. https://www.influenceatwork.com/principles-of-persuasion/
  7. See 1
  8. See 1
  9. Ennett, S. T., Tobler, N. S., Ringwalt, C. L., & Flewelling, R. L. (1994). How effective is drug abuse resistance education? a meta-analysis of project dare outcome evaluations. American Journal of Public Health, 84(9), 1394–401. 
  10. Werch, C. E., & Owen, D. M. (2002). Iatrogenic effects of alcohol and drug prevention programs. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63(5), 581–90.
  11. Schmidt, J. B., & Calantone, R. J. (2002). Escalation of commitment during new product development. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30(2), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/03079459994362
  12. Dorison, C. A., Umphres, C. K., & Lerner, J. S. (2022). Staying the course: Decision makers who escalate commitment are trusted and trustworthy. Journal of experimental psychology. General, 151(4), 960–965. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001101
  13. Ball, G. (1965, July 1). Memo from George Ball to President Johnson. A compromise solution in South Vietnam. In M. E. Gettleman (Ed.), Vietnam and America: A documented history (pp. 282–283). Grove Press.
  14. Heath, C. (1995). Escalation and De-escalation of Commitment in Response to Sunk Costs: The Role of Budgeting in Mental Accounting. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 62(1), 38-54. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1995.1029
  15. Hollingworth, C., & Barker, L. (2019, November 4). Bias in the spotlight: Commitment bias. Research World Archive. https://archive.researchworld.com/bias-in-the-spotlight-commitment-bias/
  16. DePaoli, A. (2022, September 8). The foot-in-the-door technique explained with examples. Voucherify.https://www.voucherify.io/blog/the-foot-in-the-door-effect

About the Authors

A man in a blue, striped shirt smiles while standing indoors, surrounded by green plants and modern office decor.

Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

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Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

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