Which term describes the tendency to cling to initial beliefs even when evidence has discredited them?

• A. Overconfidence
• B. Representativeness Heuristic
• C. Functional Fixedness
• D. Belief Perseverance

Answer: (D)

Belief perseverance describes the tendency to hold on to an initial belief even after the evidence that supported it has been discredited. When new data contradicts what we first thought, the mind often discounts or reinterprets that evidence to preserve the original belief, and the conviction can persist because beliefs are tied to identity, emotions, or strong prior commitments.

Overconfidence refers to being too sure about one’s judgments, which can coexist with belief perseverance but doesn’t specifically capture the act of sticking to a discredited belief. The representativeness heuristic is about judging likelihood based on how much something resembles a prototype, not about clinging to beliefs after disconfirmation. Functional fixedness is about seeing objects only in their traditional uses, not about belief persistence.