Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Observer bias is one of the types of detection bias and is defined as any kind of systematic divergence from accurate facts during observation and the recording of data and information in studies. [1] The definition can be further expanded upon to include the systematic difference between what is observed due to variation in observers, and what ...
[1] [2] This bias can take many forms. Some individuals may over-report good behavior, while others may under-report bad, or undesirable behavior. [1] A critical aspect of how this bias can come to affect the responses of participants relates to the norms of the society in which the research is taking place. [2]
Hawthorne effect, a form of reactivity in which subjects modify an aspect of their behavior, in response to their knowing that they are being studied; Observer-expectancy effect, a form of reactivity in which a researcher's cognitive bias causes them to unconsciously influence the participants of an experiment
Participation bias or non-response bias is a phenomenon in which the results of studies, polls, etc. become non-representative because the participants disproportionately possess certain traits which affect the outcome. These traits mean the sample is systematically different from the target population, potentially resulting in biased estimates.
Confirmation bias can lead to the experimenter interpreting results incorrectly because of the tendency to look for information that conforms to their hypothesis, and overlook information that argues against it. [1] It is a significant threat to a study's internal validity, and is therefore typically controlled using a double-blind experimental ...
Social science research is particularly prone to observer bias, so it is important in these fields to properly blind the researchers. In some cases, while blind experiments would be useful, they are impractical or unethical. Blinded data analysis can reduce bias, but is rarely used in social science research. [39]
Indirect observation can be used if one wishes to be entirely unobtrusive in their observation method. This can often be useful if a researcher is approaching a particularly sensitive topic that would be likely to elicit reactivity in the subject. There are also potential ethical concerns that are avoided by using the indirect observational method.
The publication or nonpublication of research findings, depending on the nature and direction of the results. Although medical writers have acknowledged the problem of reporting biases for over a century, [12] it was not until the second half of the 20th century that researchers began to investigate the sources and size of the problem of reporting biases.