Ever written an essay and only looked at the evidence that supports your argument? We won't tell, promise. We've all been there. But did you know that this perfectly normal behaviour is actually an example of bias?
Bias is natural, and for the most part unavoidable. Even when we pledge ourselves to fight the good fight for equal rights, to embrace all cultures, and to eradicate prejudice, we still succumb to bias every day - most of it, we may not even be aware of! Let's look at what bias is and the different types of it.
First, we will discuss the meaning of bias.
Then, we will look at the definition of bias.
Next, we will explore unconscious bias, with a brief insight into cognitive bias.
We will then discuss confirmation bias.
Finally, we will look at the different types of bias.
Fig. 1 - Biases affect many aspects of our lives.
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 means that psychological findings and theories are applicable to all people.
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.
A bias is a false or inaccurate perception about a group of people or a set of beliefs.
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 is when our beliefs or attitudes are outside of our awareness.
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.
Remember, an unconscious or implicit bias is not the same as an explicit bias, expressed in overt likes or dislikes of a person or group, like a racist statement.
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 bias is the mental errors made that can affect a person's judgement of reality; it is a form of unconscious bias that exists because of our brain's need to simplify the information we are being subjected to.
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.
Confirmation bias is when you look for evidence that supports your idea, even to go as far as interpreting research in a way that confirms your beliefs.
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.
Cultural bias is when individuals judge situations, actions and other individuals from different cultures, based on their own cultural views.
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
Subcultural bias is when research, findings, or theories from one subculture are applied to another.
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.
Ethnocentrism is the belief or assumption that a culture's ideas, values, and practices are 'natural' or 'right'.
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.
To understand ethnocentrism a bit better, let's look at a famous experiment and it's main criticism - Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure. Ainsworth suggested that children's most common attachment type was also the 'healthiest' attachment type.
Her sample consisted of white, middle-class American mothers and infants. So what was the criticism? It did not take into account cultural differences in child-rearing, incorrectly assuming the results, obtained only from white middle-class Americans, represented the 'normal' standard.
Cultural biased can be reduced through cultural relativism.
Cultural relativism means considering each culture's values, practices, and norms individually to avoid judgments by the standards of another culture.
Gender Bias
Gender bias affects the different genders.
Gender bias means treating one gender more or less favourably based on gender stereotypes rather than actual differences.
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.
Alpha bias is the exaggeration or emphasis on the differences between men and women.
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.
"Men are better at handling emotions than women" or "women are better at raising children".
Fig. 3 - Gender bias has different types
Beta Bias
Now, let's examine beta bias.
Beta bias is the minimisation of differences between men and women.
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.
Androcentrism is the idea that male thinking and behaviour are 'normal' or the standard.
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.
The exact opposite of androcentrism, gynocentrism is the idea that female thinking and behaviour is 'normal'.
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.
If there is a stereotype that women are less assertive, this may discourage women from behaving that way in the workplace, school, or family.
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.
Biases - Key takeaways
- A bias is a false or inaccurate perception about a group of people or a set of beliefs.
- Unconscious or implicit bias is when our beliefs or attitudes are outside of our awareness.
- Cognitive bias is the mental errors made that can affect a person's judgement of reality; it is a form of unconscious bias that exists because of our brain's need to simplify the information we are being subjected to.
- Confirmation bias is when you look for evidence that supports your idea, thereby ignoring anything that rejects it.
- The types of bias are cultural and subcultural bias, ethnocentrism and gender bias. Gender bias can further be divided into alpha bias and beta bias (resulting in androcentrism and gynocentrism, effects of beta bias).
Explanations 
Textbooks 
Exams 
Magazine 
