bias

[bahy-uhs]

bias, a voltage, current, or other input applied to a device or system as a reference or to set its conditions of operation. A bias is usually steady but may vary with time, usually within a fixed and known range and with a fixed and known frequency. In electronics, the most common forms of bias are the voltage applied to the grid of an electron tube to set its operating conditions and the current applied to the base of a transistor to perform the same function. In tape recording, a bias current, usually alternating with a frequency in the ultrasonic range, is mixed with the signal to be recorded to minimize distortion produced by the tape itself.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Bias

Bias is a term used to describe a tendency or preference towards a particular perspective, ideology or result, especially when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective. The term biased is used to describe an action, judgment, or other outcome influenced by a prejudged perspective. It is also used to refer to a person or body of people whose actions or judgments exhibit bias.

Sources and causes of bias

Bias may result from opinions on a subject while holding a particular viewpoint on the subject, and not applying neutral point of view correction to the process, whether consciously or unconsciously. In practice, an accusation of bias often results from a perception of unacknowledged favoritism on the part of a critic or judge, or indeed any person in a position requiring the careful and disinterested exercise of arbitration or assessment. Any tendency to favour a certain set of values naturally lead to an uneven dispensation of judgment. It may also be noted that, if a person were to take their own preexisting view as a priori balanced without acknowledging their own personal inclinations, any person or organization that disagrees with their views is likely to be viewed as biased regardless of that person or organization's actual efforts at balance. It may be observed that bias is, in a sense, reflexive, unacknowledged or unrecognized bias potentially leading to its apprehension (with or without good reason) in others.

Bias may result from incentives that conflict with neutrality or objectivity. In law, a conflict of interest is a type of situation involving such bias: a conflict of interest arises where one's profession or duty demands impartiality, and yet one has incentives or demands arising from other personal or professional roles which introduce bias.

Psychology of bias

In psychology, cognitive bias is bias based on cognitive factors. One type of cognitive bias is confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret new information in such a way that confirms one's prior beliefs, even to the extreme of denial, ignoring information that conflicts with one's prior beliefs. The fundamental attribution error, also known as correspondence bias, is one example of such bias, in which people tend to explain others' behavior in terms of personality whereas they tend to explain their own behavior in terms of the situation.

Forms of biases

Cultural: interpreting and judging phenomena in terms particular to one's own culture.
Ethnic or racial: racism, nationalism, regionalism and tribalism.
CSB: describing a dispute as it is conducted in one country, when the dispute is framed differently elsewhere.
Inductive
Media: real or perceived bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media, in the selection of which events will be reported and how they are covered
Gender: including sexism and heteronormativity.
Linguistic: bias, favoring certain languages
Political: bias in favor of or against a particular political party, philosophy, policy or candidate.
Corporate: bias in favor of a business.
Advertising: bias with observations motivated for selling an opinion rather than using objectivity.
Sociological: bias in favor of a society's ideals. bias for groups needs/wants.
Entertainment: bias in favor of entertaining an audience
Personal: bias for personal gain.
Religious: bias for or against religion, faith or beliefs;
Sensationalist: favoring the exceptional over the ordinary. This includes emphasizing, distorting, or fabricating exceptional news to boost commercial ratings.
Scientific (including anti-scientific and scientific skepticism): favoring (or disfavoring) a scientist, inventor, or theory for non-scientific reasons. This can also include excessive favoring (or disfavoring) prevalent scientific opinion, if in doing so, notable viewpoints are no longer being treated neutrally.