Respondent Bias

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There are eight core biases in research grouped in two different categories, respondent bias and researcher bias. Respondent bias or survey bias is when a person being surveyed answers the questions untruthfully or give misleading answers. Researcher bias is what happens when errors emerge internationally or unintentionally, that mislead the research being performed. Both bias categories can be avoided by following standardized protocol. The standardized protocol starts with having a plan to measure the variables of interest and a design that is not weighted to give invalid results. Unexpected circumstances cannot be avoided, but they can be minimized with quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance and quality control activities …show more content…

Acquiescence bias takes place when the person taking the survey tends to agree with every question on the survey. The bias can appear as the participant is being very agreeable or obedient to avoid displeasure or disapproval of the researcher. Social desirability bias is when the respondent answers questions that will lead them to think they are being accepted or liked. Questions can be worded in a way that allows a person to project what they feel and still be honest with their answers. Habituation bias happens quite often in questionnaires with many of the questions similar in wording. The person taking the survey becomes bored and may answer the questions in a manner to complete the survey in a hurry. The best way to lessen the bias in to keep the person engaged and vary the questioning. Sponsor bias can occur when the respondent assumes they know who is sponsoring the sponsor the research and express their feelings about a certain company, brand or belief. The moderator must have a neutral stance and be independent from the sponsor. Consequently, all four biases seem to deal with a person thoughts and

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