What cognitive bias is Carolyn experiencing when she only notices her success in making free throws after tapping the ball?

Carolyn is demonstrating present/present bias, which occurs when an individual focuses on the instances where a certain condition is present and overlooks the times when it is not. In this scenario, Carolyn only pays attention to her successes after a specific action (tapping the ball), ignoring all other outcomes. This bias can lead someone to erroneously conclude that the action is causally linked to the outcome of making free throws, as they remember the successes occurring with the action but are unaware or dismissive of the failures that also occurred.

This cognitive bias emphasizes how people tend to see relationships in a way that confirms their expectations, leading to faulty reasoning. Present/present bias is particularly common in situations where events can have multiple contributing factors, making it important to recognize when we might overlook evidence that contradicts our beliefs or observations.