...is the tendency to seek out information that supports something you already believe.

 

This is a particularly pernicious type of cognitive bias - we like that which "agrees with us" and dislike that which doesn't.  Or put another way, we move towards that which we like and away from that which we dislike. E.g., people we know or things that we read...

 

This means you will remember or only pay attention to the hits (i.e., the likes) and dismiss/forget the misses (i.e., the dislikes).  Which results in flawed human reasoning.

 

People will cue into things that matter to them, and dismiss the things that don’t, which can lead to the “ostrich effect” (so named because ostriches bury their heads in the sand); i.e., one "seeks to avoid" information that may disprove their original point.

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Haidt explains what could be a very useful critical thinking skill in rooting out unhealthy confirmation bias:

 

When we want to believe something, we ask ourselves, “Can I believe it?”
We search for supporting evidence, and if we find even a single piece of pseudo-evidence, we can stop thinking.
We now have permission to believe.
We have a justification, in case anyone asks.
When we don’t want to believe something, we ask ourselves, “Must I believe it?”
Then we search for contrary evidence, and if we find a single reason to doubt the claim, we can dismiss it.

 

Is it "Can I...?" or "Must I...?"