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We live in a time of global change. But people experience change in different ways. Global change… affects some people more than others, and it can have different consequences – good and bad – for people in different settings.

~ Robert Schaeffer, Sociologist

Bias

Bias is defined as having opinions or feelings that are determined without full consideration of all of available facts and information. Bias may include a preference for one thing over another, or it may pertain to a social or cultural group. Some of these instances might be innocent, such as believing that our sports teams are the best, or that we have the best recipe in existence for our favourite dish. On the other hand, they might have more serious implications and consequences. Bias can even extend to the act of choosing a neighbourhood to live in by looking at its ethnic demographic.

The video below explains the interplay between human bias and technology. This can be quite complicated to understand, and even more important to control.

As the video suggests, bias is very complicated because we are often unaware of how and when it is affecting us. There are many ways in which bias leads us down a less than ideal path. The visual below detailing cognitive biases provides some specific examples. While you are reading the examples, consider whether you have personally been affected by that specific bias or if you know anyone that you suspect has.

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Did reading any of the examples above make you reconsider either a decision that you have made or a situation in which you have found yourself? The good thing is that it is possible to be aware of your biases and consciously work to overcome them.

Being aware of and preventing potential bias is one challenge, but dealing with a bias that already exists is quite another. As you watch the video below, consider whether the woman telling her story shares examples of any of the types of bias that are detailed above.

Where Bias is Found

Bias can be used on purpose - in the way that questions are worded or stories are shared - in order to get a desired reaction from the audience. Politicians may play on the biases held by different groups of the population to garner votes. Mainstream entertainment often uses bias as a source of humour.

It is important to remember that social institutions can also contribute to a person's bias. Experiences with formal education, government, organized religion, and even our own families have tremendous power to influence our opinions and beliefs.

Bias can also be found around us in the media on a daily basis. When writers or reporters select which events to share with their readers or viewers, they are able to create public awareness of certain topics while ignoring others. They may also utilize wording that will influence the views of their audience.

When you complete the assignment later in this activity, you will compare the way in which a news source and a social media source present the same current event. While social scientists do a good deal of primary research, they also gather information from the media and popular culture. That is why it is important to understand the huge variation in the way that one story can be presented by two different sources. Often bias, errors of omission, or selective reporting come into play. 

It is also important to consider how the people sharing information are being held accountable. Most people understand that an individual's website, blog, and social media accounts contain the personal (and potentially biased) views of the person who write them. The reader can then take this into account when reading them. The information that news outlets share is governed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Code of Ethics, but this is not foolproof. Many news agencies have been accused of being ‘liberal' or ‘conservative' in their viewpoints.

Ultimately, all sources of information require that we be critical consumers of media and use our own judgement to detect bias.

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With Bias Comes Privilege

Often groups of people are identified by utilizing common traits – their country of origin, the type of work that they do, or their sexual orientation, for example. While certain individuals may share these characteristics, they are not the only traits that should be used to understand who they are. Furthermore, they should certainly not be used to judge or marginalize people. Problems arise when one group of people – defined by any characteristic – places itself in a position of power or privilege over another group. Often the ISMs – ageism, sexism, racism, classism, etc. – come into play in this context.

Social Science Methods

All social sciences are based upon research. While social scientists write theories and evaluate their application and validity in everyday life, they need to research in order to begin their work. Research helps social scientists to first explore what they see around them, then to describe the events or phenomena, and finally to explain what they have observed. (Source)

Not every question or topic can be tackled in the same way by social scientists. For this reason, a number of different research methods and sources of information are utilized. Click on the text in each shape below to learn more about research methods and information sources.

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When social scientists complete their research, they often have an overwhelming amount of data to analyse. One way to look for patterns is to utilize graphical representations. This also presents the information to the readers in a much more digestible way. It is important to understand when and why a graphical representation might be useful in your research, but it is also important to be able to gather information from and interpret graphs as you may come across examples in your future research.

The following example has been obtained from Statistics Canada.

In this graph, the horizontal (bottom) axis indicates the categories (in this case the number of hours spent weekly) and the numbers on the bars themselves indicated the percent of people who fit into that particular category. For example, 25% of people watch between 6 and 10 hours of television weekly.

Additional information on how to read a bar graph can be found on the Statistics Canada website or in this Khan Academy video.

 

As professionals gathering information, social scientists must ensure that they are neither allowing their own bias to influence their work, nor presenting their findings in such a way that they will bias those who read them. One can easily draw conclusions from the results that are not accurate or do not show the entire picture unless the findings are clearly stated. When presented properly, however, research findings can help combat bias on many different levels by highlighting supported evidence.