1. Recognizing Bias
February 13, 2008

2. Survey Questions
Would you rather watch MTV or The Home Shopping Network?
Would you rather listen to hip hop or opera?
Who do you like better, the Cincinnati Bengals or the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Which subject do you like better, Science or English?
Who is the smarter gender, males or females?

3. What is wrong with this research?
Bill is assigned by his editor to determine what most Americans think about a new law that will place a federal tax on all modems and computers purchased. The revenues from the tax will be used to enforce new online decency laws. Bill, being technically inclined, decides to use an poll. In his poll, 95% of those surveyed opposed the tax. Bill was quite surprised when 65% of all Americans voted for the taxes.

4. What is wrong with this research?
The United Pacifists of America decide to run a poll to determine what Americans think about guns and gun control. Jane is assigned the task of setting up the study. To save mailing costs, she includes the survey form in the group's newsletter mailing. She is very pleased to find out that 95% of those surveyed favor gun control laws and she tells her friends that the vast majority of Americans favor gun control laws.

5. What is wrong with this research?
Large scale polls were taken in Florida, California, and Maine and it was found that an average of 55% of those polled spent at least fourteen days a year near the ocean. So, it can be safely concluded that 55% of all Americans spend at least fourteen days near the ocean each year.

6. What is bias? Bias is a slanted point of view, or personal prejudice.
The goal of scientists is to be as objective as possible and to base their findings on facts instead of opinions.
Not all scientists conduct objective research. It is our job to analyze scientific results and consider the source of the information as well as the information itself.

7. Sources of Bias 1. Who is sponsoring the research?
Sometimes, the results of an investigation are biased because an organization paying for the research is looking for a specific answer.
Examples?

8. Sources of Bias 2. Is the research sample large enough?
Sometimes research doesn’t include enough data.
The larger the sample size, the more likely that the results are accurate.
The goal is to have a truly random sample.

9. Sources of Bias 3. In a survey, who is answering the questions?
The results of a survey or poll may be biased.
The people taking part in the survey may have been specifically chosen because of how they would answer. They may have the same ideas or lifestyles.
Remember the goal is to have a random sample of people.
Examples?

10. Sources of Bias 4. Are the people who take part in a survey biased?
Sometimes people who participate in surveys try to answer the questions the way they think the researcher wants them to answer.
Also, in surveys that ask for personal information, people may be unwilling to answer questions truthfully.
Examples?

11. How can we determine if research data is accurate?
Look at the person or organization conducting the study.
Look at the sample size.
Look at the type of people in the sample.
Look at the possibility of the people in the sample being biased.

12. How can we improve our survey to reduce bias?