TDO

Theory-dependence observation (TDO), also known as conformation bias, is a tendency to put emphasis on observations that corroborate our theories and avoid or add auxiliary theories to observations that contradict our theories.

Good article from the blog of the world bank about TDO, with two references to articles.

important research that people tend to stick to evidence that supports their theory

vmPFC and dmPFC may be involved in TDO.

See Also

• Confirmation bias
• The affect heuristic is a heuristic, a mental shortcut that allows people to make decisions and solve problems quickly and efficiently, in which current emotion—fear, pleasure, surprise, etc.—influences decisions. In other words, it is a type of heuristic in which emotional response, or "affect" in psychological terms, plays a lead role. In this case the emotion is the theory that leads to the decision.
• Shaping theory to adapt to reality