[austincheney]

I have found it is pretty common for people to use simplified justifications, such as cause and effect, to support their conclusions on a subject. If the relationship between the cause and the effect is not clearly stated it is very common that they may not be properly reversed during backwards analysis from an end point to a start point. In that case the qualifying behavior is a form of cognitive conservatism demonstrated through a selective bias.

While that form of thinking may sound incredibly stupid, example: how could a person confuse a cause for its effect, it is exceedingly common. I have seen incredibly smart people make this mistake. The mistake is the non-cognitive behavior at play that unduly influences what is otherwise a very logical and straight forward conclusion. Objectivity is a practicable personality trait not aligned to logic or math skills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cart_before_the_horse