Bias Detection:

How to recognize them when the occur in yourself and others

First and foremost, biases are an inevitable result of how our brains function.  It is impossible to eliminate them fully.   And, yes, that applies to us, too, and this very web site.  We hope our biases do not cloud what we have to say here about reality, but we accept the fact that they might.  You be the judge.

What this means

We have to be aware that they occur, recognize how and why they arise, then try to compensate for them (find ways to either help us look beyond them, or minimize their impact).  Science and the Scientific Method were developed as a way to minimize bias while discovering facts and how they relate

Minimizing biases when they occur: In most cases, the best was to minimize the affect of our personal biases by using Critical Thinking. 

  To read about Critical Thinking

There are additional ways to recognize bias in ourselves and other, and we've listed several below.

Our own biases: We need to keep in mind that we have our own value systems and ways of viewing the world which can lead to personal biases.  We may not choose to eliminate them, when it comes to our basic beliefs, but we need to see how they can lead us to make errors perceiving reality that at times can actually be life threatening.

Biases expressed by Others: Just as we can have biases, so can others.  In some cases it leads them to making errors in what they see and say to us about reality.  Sometimes they do it unintentionally, but they can also do it on purpose.  Below are some ways to detect biases on the part of others.

                                                               Detecting   biases...

                                                               ...by what is put in

Bias by emphasis: What sorts of information is emphasized and what sorts are minimized?  Which things are highlighted, listed first, and so on. 

A news report may, for example, rely on reporting statements of opinion first (e.g., "They said they consider his behavior traitorous") and provide factual information last ("The suspect stole toilet paper from the Defense Department").

Bias by repetition: This is a common way to emphasize something.  The repetition of a particular event or idea can lead people to believe that it is true, very widespread, and much more important than it really is.
 

Bias by use of language: This is a major source of bias.  It boils down to word choices, which can occur in different parts of speech and how they are used.

1. Verb choices: Consider the following three statements:

"The manager confessed he wanted to avoid any problems with the public."

"The manager insisted he wanted to avoid any problems with the public.
"The manager said he wanted to avoid any problems with the public."

Only the last one is a simple statement of facts.  The first two use different verbs that imply different meaning. 

2. Helping verb choices: The use of conditional helping verbs can provide bias. 

"There might be a tornado hitting town this afternoon."  While this COULD be true, it also COULD be false.

3. Noun choices: Different labels can create very different meanings, such as:

"He was a terrorist."

"He was a revolutionary."

"He was a "freedom fighter."

4. Adjective choices: They are ALWAYS evaluative, which means they convey the evaluation of the writer, how s/he evaluates the noun.

"It is an ugly door."

"She wore a pretty dress.:

"He did a better job than his predecessor."

5. Indefinite pronouns: Given these are indefinite, they can create a false impression.

"Many scientists agree there is no human cause for global climate change."

Bias in photos: Unflattering pictures can create bad impressions, and partial pictures of scenes can completely change the context of an event.   Consider how these two pictures influence the view of the person pictured:

Bias in numbers and statistics: Statistics need to be interpreted; they are often used to create false impressions.

Turns out this is a rather large topic, one that merits more than a single example.  Soooo...we refer you to a whole separate web page that deals with the misuse of statistics.

 To read about lying with statistics

Unchallenged Assumptions:  These involve beliefs that underlie biases. 

For example, if gun owners believe that those who are trying to implement gun control legislation are really just trying to take away their guns (this is the assumption), they won't want to know about anything that suggests gun control is a good idea.

Blame the Victim: The is a way of coloring reality by adding information that may, or may not, actually be relevant.  Consider the following:

"

She was drunk and wearing skimpy clothes in a biker bar the night she was raped."

The fact is that she was raped.  This additional information does not change that fact.

                                                                ...by what is left out

For the most part, this is a matter of focus and perspective.  Reality can and often does have multiple facets.  Bias occurs from oversimplification.  It can be intentional, and it can also be unintentional.  It boils down to what is looked at and what is ignored.

Bias by omission: This is most often present when not all information is conveyed.  In other words, telling only part of the story, thereby leading to a questionable conclusion.

Consider the following

Out of Context:  This is a big one.  It's akin to "Cherry Picking" (looking only for example supporting a specific desired conclusion).  Here's an example of a out of context blurb for a movie:

"Hysterically...entertaining." Actual written line: "The action in this fast-paced, hysterically overproduced and surprisingly entertaining film is as realistic as a Road Runner cartoon."

Here's an example from politics:

In the 2000 United States Republican primary campaign, George W. Bush's campaign screened advertising including a "warning" from John McCain's "conservative hometown paper" that "It's time the rest of the nation learns about the McCain we know." The paper (The Arizona Republic), however, went on to say, "There is much there to admire. After all, we have supported McCain in his past runs for office

The issue of context is also applicable in language selection.  For example, saying someone confessed to his, or her priest, or to the police, provides a context wherein the verb "confessed" is appropriate.

Sources:  This can be a major problem, when information is provided from only one source, and there is additional, sometimes mitigating information from additional sources.  Sometimes, there is no legitimate source, which is why it is omitted.
 

In all cases, there can be errors in how people perceive reality and how they communicate their perceptions to other.  Read about the types of biases (see below) to see what they are.

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