Research bias is a cognitive bias that can occur both consciously and unconsciously. Although it might not be intended every time, it can result in false conclusions, misinterpretation of truth and ultimately call the data collected into question. It is necessary to realise that research bias, as it can occur at any point of research, invalidates the findings and can be difficult to eradicate.
What Is A Researcher Bias?
In academic research, research bias is defined as a type of systematic error that occurs in qualitative and quantitative research studies and skews the accuracy of findings as it contains prejudice or preference for or against a particular group of people, topic, culture, object or idea.
A researcher needs to be impartial and neutral to avoid bias in research. Every human develops biases at some point in life. This influences their thinking and decision-making abilities, making it easy for personal biases to sweep into research designs and studies. This is why it is important to practise vigilance, avoid discrimination and focus on the research design.
Types Of Bias In Research
To make accurate decisions in research studies, and get the best results, it is necessary to understand the different types of bias that occur in research. Some common types of bias in research are:
| Type | Definition | Example |
| Measurement Bias | This bias in research studies occurs when the data is not collected accurately. It is mostly due to inconsistent measurement tools, subjective interpretation of results and poor questionnaires. | If a mobile company conducts a survey on their newly launched mobile’s camera quality, but the images shown are of poor quality, then the participants might underestimate the mobile’s camera quality. |
| Sampling Bias | Sampling bias can be defined as a bias in which a group of people are more likely to be included in a research sample, while others are not. The most significant reason why bias in sampling occurs is because of convenience and voluntary sampling. | For example, if a psychologist is conducting an emotional well-being survey on social media, it would only attract participants who are active on these platforms. This could skew the results as the participants would not be addressing everyone’s opinion, especially those who are not active on social media platforms. |
| Observer Bias | This is a bias that occurs due to the researcher of the study. This means that they consciously or unconsciously project their opinions on research and survey questionnaires. | If there is a survey on the effects of gym protein powder that increases protein and strength in participants, then a researcher who has predetermined results, or wants to place the results in their favour might encourage the participants to talk more about how focused they feel. |
| Response Bias | Response Bias is a bias in survey research that involves participants responding to questions falsely or inaccurately. Sometimes, its opposite non-response bias also occurs where participants deliberately refuse to answer questions. | For instance, if there is a survey on healthcare, then a participant might overreport their healthy habits such as exercising to appear socially desirable in the eyes of other people. |
| Interviewer Bias | A bias in an interview occurs when the interviewer’s personal bias, and thought process impact his judgements and influence the responses given by the interviewee. | For example, a research team is conducting interviews on the experiences of immigrants to the USA. If the researcher keeps on stereotyping immigrants with racist questions or makes assumptions about their experiences based on his judgments, then this is an interviewer bias. |
| Regression of The Mean | RTM is a statistical bias in research that occurs when a variable shows an extreme value in its first measurement, while it shows a normal value in its second measurement. | For instance, if a doctor checks your blood pressure for the first time, it might be quite high. When it is retaken to confirm its value, it might show a more normal blood pressure. This creates confusion as to which value should be recorded. |
| Selection Bias | This type of bias occurs when the people selected for a research design result in accurate findings that do not represent the whole population. This can occur in both probability and nonprobability sampling. | In educational surveys for checking the efficacy of public schools, a study that only concentrates on high-school graduates and not college drop-outs is more likely to result in inaccurate data. |
| Undercoverage Bias | Undercoverage bias involves under-representing specific people in a study. A researcher only chooses people for a sample if they are convenient to them. | If individuals working in hybrid-working structures, or working remotely are not included in the employment survey, it will result in inaccurate data. |
| Recall Bias | Recall bias is a bias that occurs when the participants fail to recall their experiences or previous events that are crucial for data collection. | In medical surveys, when a patient fails to recall their past illness or symptoms that is necessary for accurate findings in a research study on diabetes. |
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Research Bias Examples
Below are some examples of how research bias occurs in various research topics and fields:
Bias In Medical Research
A pharmaceutical company is conducting empirical research by performing a clinical test on the effectiveness of a drug that can be used to treat Alzheimer’s. The company might showcase the positive aspects of the drug only, avoiding any side effects, which is both publication and outcome reporting bias in research. This selective reporting of the positive results can skew the accuracy of the research.
Moreover, if the patients fail to recall their symptoms or medication use, it might play another role in false data in research. Lastly, if any patient decides to drop out of the clinical test, then the sample might become biased.
Bias in Psychology Research
Imagine a psychologist conducting a survey on stress levels in college students. If he chooses students from a certain department or semester, it will be a convenience bias in sampling. The sample will not reflect the diversity of all students from all over the college. Moreover, if the survey is focused on a particular culture or students of a particular socio-economic background, then there will be a cultural bias in the research.
Stress levels vary between different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Moreover, if he only adds students who volunteer themselves for the study, the sample will be biased yet again as it will be self-selection. This will cause inaccurate data research as students who feel motivated enough to participate will only represent the whole population.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some other biases that occur in quantitative research are: Instrument Bias Publication Bias Allocation Bias Confirmation Bias Selective Reporting Bias Outcome Reporting Bias Attrition Bias
Confirmation bias in qualitative research means a bias in which researchers actively find ideas and information that support their hypothesis and findings. In psychology, this bias is often restricted to the act of selecting information that aligns with our pre-exisiting beliefs. We tend to ignore any other information or data during research that is contrary to our beliefs.
Author bias in research involves leaving out certain information and data that opposes an author’s stance. They might only provide one side of the story, while leaving out the whole truth, leading to inaccurate analysis and publication.
