What Do You Call It?

What do you call it when you have beliefs and you want something to be true (for you)... so during your ensuing research and investigation, you either consciously or subconsciously filter and interpret the information you find to support your preconceived notions?

From a sociological perspective this phenomenon is called social constructionism. It means that some thing or concept which may appear to be natural and obvious to those who accept it, is in reality an invention of a particular group or culture. The idea is that social constructs are human choices or preferences rather than universal laws. People form beliefs based on their experiences and then institutionalize them as traditions; eventually declaring them as facts and possibly even laws. This socially constructed reality is said to be a re-produced reality usually carried out by good-intentioned people acting on their human interpretations and knowledge of their experiences.

So is social constructionism a form of ethnocentrism or bias? How would the actual scientific validity of your findings fare? And if these findings were skewed or prejudiced in some way, does that mean then that they are not true for you? Should they be true for everyone? For no one? Can faith (in anything) be measured and proven?

"Miracles don't prove faith' they're invitations to faith." - Unknown