Biases

Bias Meaning

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you have already formed your opinion, and you dismiss anyone who tries to tell you otherwise? Chances are, you have. If this isn't biased, then what is?

Bias doesn't just occur in day-to-day lives, it occurs in psychological research as well, thereby undermining the study's universality and reliability. We know what reliability means, but what is universality?

Universality can contribute to psychological research being biased in one of two ways - the study may not represent the wider population, so the results are biased toward the group(s) described in the sample and results may also be extrapolated to other groups when this is inappropriate, without accounting for differences. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though; before understanding anything further, let's first look at the proper definition of bias.

Bias Definition

While we may all know what bias means, we may not know the true definition of it. Let's see what it is.

These perceptions are often based on stereotypes relating to characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation. Having said that, it can be hard to understand what is a biased belief and what isn't, especially because not all bias is obvious. Let's see why.

Unconscious Bias

When someone asks you to think of an adult nurse, what image pops into your head? Is it that of an adult female? Possibly. This happens due to unconscious bias.

Unconscious or implicit bias exists without anyone knowing that they have these beliefs or attitudes. For an unconscious bias to occur, our brain needs to be quick to make assumptions. Often, these assumptions are based on our experiences, societal stereotypes, and culture, i.e., our background overall.

A type of unconscious bias is a cognitive bias.

Cognitive Bias

Cognitive bias is cited in different areas of psychology, implicated in various things.

Cognitive biases are often found in those with addictive behaviours, such as gambling. They are faulty judgments that unconsciously simplify things to help people make decisions.

Confirmation Bias

Have you ever believed something so deeply that when you do further research on the overarching topic, you only focus on the evidence that supports your belief and you ignore the rest? That's the basis of confirmation bias.

There can be different explanations for why this occurs, one of which has been identified as that of self-esteem. When you have a strong belief, you want to be sure that it is accurate - identifying evidence or only reading and recalling information that is in support of your beliefs is one way of increasing self-esteem, thereby increasing your confidence.

Types of Bias

Biases cannot be characterised into a broad umbrella term. There are several different types, so let's briefly discuss some of these below.

Cultural and Subcultural Bias

Bias can differ depending on the culture involved.

With globalisation occurring at a rapid pace, you may not see cultural bias occur in day-to-day scenarios. One situation in which you can see cultural bias occur, however, is in psychological research (particularly older research).

Research often conducted in Western areas of the world does not take into account other cultures and how this could impact results, and vice versa. It is for this reason that the generalisability of findings becomes difficult.

Two differing approaches can result in cultural bias, known as emic (universal laws applied while studying a culture) and etic (specific study of a culture from within) research.

Fig. 2 - Studying cultural differences can help reduce cultural bias

A subculture is a smaller culture within a larger culture. Within a culture, there may be many subcultures that are distinct and grouped in some way. Subcultures can be grouped by:

• Age.
• Class.
• Sexual orientation.
• Religious beliefs.
• Language and ethnic background.
• Disability.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism involves cultural beliefs.

With ethnocentrism, the standards of one culture are used to judge other cultural groups or races. Ethnocentrism can negatively portray other cultures' ideas or practices, as they are compared to a 'correct' culture.

Cultural biased can be reduced through cultural relativism.

Gender Bias

Gender bias affects the different genders.

Gender bias is one of the common types of bias that you would find in a day-to-day scenario and can lead to misleading or inaccurate scientific results, the perpetuation of gender stereotypes, and the justification of gender discrimination. There are three main types of gender bias. Let's discuss these below.

Alpha bias

First, let's examine alpha bias.

When alpha bias occurs, it makes one gender seem 'better' than the other. This usually involves devaluing the less 'superior' gender. Let's look at an example.

Fig. 3 - Gender bias has different types

Beta Bias

Now, let's examine beta bias.

It refers to research that applies equally to both genders without considering gender differences within research. Beta bias can be of two further types which we will discuss below.

Androcentrism

Androcentrism is a form and consequence of beta bias.

When androcentrism occurs, female thinking and behaviour would likely be perceived as 'abnormal' as it deviates from the 'norm'.

Gynocentrism

Gynocentrism is also a form and consequence of beta bias.

Due to this, male thinking and behaviour would be perceived as 'abnormal'.

As expected, gender bias in psychological research has consequences. The stereotypes perpetuated by psychological research can be used to justify or discourage certain behaviours in political, educational, and social contexts. You may be wondering how. Let's look at an example.

Understanding what bias means, as well as the different types of it, can help us be more in tune with our thoughts and our behaviour. Doing so, then, can allow us to identify problematic patterns of behaviour and correct them promptly.