What term describes perceiving or hearing what you expect rather than reality?

• A. Confirmation bias
• B. Availability bias
• C. Expectation bias
• D. Hindsight bias

Answer: (C)

Expectations color perception. When you anticipate a particular outcome, your brain tends to interpret ambiguous sensory input in that direction, so you end up perceiving or hearing what you expect rather than what is actually there. This tendency is known as expectation bias. In aviation, it can show up as misreading an instrument cue, interpreting a radio transmission in a way that matches your expectation, or otherwise letting what you think will happen influence how you perceive real-world data, which can be dangerous.

This term is the best fit because it directly describes the act of perception being shaped by what you expect, rather than by objective reality. Other biases describe different processes: confirmation bias is about seeking information that reinforces preconceptions, availability bias is about relying on information that is most readily recalled, and hindsight bias is about believing outcomes were predictable after they occur.