...Waldron SOC100 Edward Hernandez April 24, 2016 Evaluating Bias in Research The first step in the student’s guide to research is to frame your research question. Whether you have noticed a problem that you think you could help fix or have a desire to understand something, you must pose a question carefully and precisely. It is important that you define your terms when coming up with a question so you know exactly what you are measuring, observing, and how to collect data. When you evaluate your findings you must have a clear picture of what exactly you are looking for. Knowing how and where to search efficiently and effectively is vital in order to find the best information for the research process. This involves determining the sources for finding information that would be useful in the research process. A research that has no valid sources is not likely to yield the desired results. After reading the article “As drug industry influence over research grows, so does the potential for bias”, raises the question can drug testing be trusted? The article raises key elements to why industries are now biased and why not all drug companies can be trusted with their experiments for drug testing. The article outlines how industries are withholding records and test results to ensure sales and to pass FDA (Food and Drug, Administration) laws. The major assumptions and biases of the drug industry that underlie drug research is that the drug companies are for profit. So it is a huge...
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...The first step in the students guide to research is to frame your research question. You must pose a question carefully and precisely. Whether you have noticed a problem that you think you could help fix or have a desire to understand something. You are forging the unknown. It’s important that you define your terms when coming up with a question so you know exactly what you are measuring, observing, and how to collect your data. When you evaluate your findings you must have a clear picture of what exactly you are looking for. The major assumptions and biases of the drug industry that underlie drug research is that the drug companies are for profit. So it is a huge conflict of interest and unethical for drug companies to be funding any research. Healthcare somewhere along the way got turned into a business, it is no longer about what is best for patients. Drug companies are only interested in making money and therefore they skew the research using varying tactics so that the public is none the wiser. They basically coerce everyone involved in the research process. They use manipulative PR tactics to cover up findings unfavorable to their research or products. To confuse and mislead the public. The offer varying degrees of truth on how the research is conducted, how they evaluate the findings, what they are and are not made aware of, and how exactly everyone involved is finically compensated. Another example of this would be paying for expert testimony in a trial...
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...private interest has on a bias media message. Inherently, drawing the connection with a biased media and what effect it has on presidential candidates running for office in the United States of America. Being done so by looking at examples of media playing a factor on past presidential candidates. Through examination of past and current events of media effecting presidential candidates, the goal is to draw a connection making it clear that private interest creates a biased media effecting presidential candidates. Through showing what effect media has on presidential candidates, the research that will be conducted in this paper will emphasize and make aware the public that the media has its own...
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...Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explore the bias of the drug industry that highlights drug research. The drug industry brings forth criticism for portraying an unfair view on bestselling drugs. It is necessary to review the key components that sociological research formulates from, to obtain satisfactory in a research assignment. First Step in Student’s Guide to Research Sociological research builds off of a basic structure. Student sociologists use the structure as a guide when carrying out their research projects. Sociological research starts with the creation of a question or multiple questions needing answers. When creating a question sociologist focus on characteristic features and how they can clarify relations between the variables they study. Research questions arise from a variety of bases, such as problems that form the groundwork of sociology, socioeconomic imbalances and their causes and effects, or the yearning to comprehend of how power can apply in social relationships. Creating a worthy research question is the most significant step to guaranteeing a successful research. First Step of Research in My Own Words Several measures direct sociological research. The first step is to form a question or questions to be replied. A well-meaning research question is shaped wisely with a precise definition of terms. The research question formation is an essential step toward achieving an effective research development. Sociologists generate questions that concentrate...
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...The first step in a student's guide to research is to understand the concept that needs to be analyzed. This enables the learner to study widely and efficiently. The process allows the researcher to determine the sources to utilize throughout the research process. As a result, one reduces the time used in writing a research paper. The failure to apply compelling sources is likely to yield a less appealing paper. Basically the first step of the research is to identify where to start in writing the paper. You can read the general information related to the topic. The sources can be established from books, online sources, and even the encyclopedias. An individual can start analyzing the general materials and narrow down to specific details by listing the keywords required in the topic. When the writer gains an understanding of what he or she is working on, writing the research paper becomes less complicated. Thus, the writer should select a topic carefully to limit the time taken to write the research paper. There are many assumptions and biases in the drug industry that can hinder accurate research results. One major hypothesis is relying on the generalized information to analyze a concept. When the study is based on a generalized idea, the accuracy of the research is undermined. An example of a widespread notion is assuming that certain effects must occur to every person who is exposed to a certain drug. The other common bias is assuming that drugs’ effects vary with...
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...We are able to check numerous sources before deciding on what is right or wrong. Even though this could make us more skeptical and occasionally second-guessing, it makes us smarter and allows us to think for ourselves instead of blindly believing just about anything that is on the media. Also, according to Pew’s research, that is related to the fact that we think our news is more objective than what people on the opposite side enjoy listening to (Mitchell et al. 2014). Even though we are second guessing, this could be related to the fact that the material simply doesn’t match up with what we believe in. Another factor that plays a part in the belief of people that the media is biased as explained by Frahi are these new watchdog groups such as FAIR (Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting) and AIM (Accuracy in Media). FAIR is considered more liberal while AIM is conservative. They are on the lookout for reporters who fall into these biases and they criticize them for it, allowing for people to pay closer attention to what they are hearing. Although it’s great...
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...Evaluating Bias in Research Bias is a characteristic of results that systematically misrepresent the true nature of what is being studied (1). The first step in the student’s guide to research is identify how to effectively and efficiently perform a search to locate information that will best fit the research process. This process includes understanding the various sources available to assist in finding this information. Research that has no creditable sources to back up the findings will not provide efficient results. Drug research in the drug industry can be categorized based on general information or statistics and not the evaluation of people. This information can have conclusions based on the effects a drug may have but not everyone will have the same reaction. On the other hand, some biases are based on gender, race, or ethnicity. Most people learn biases at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Which can lead to understanding all sides to the story, knowing what’s right and wrong, and moral development. On the contrary, if morality were nothing more than common sense, why are there so many biases that require disputes and issues in research? The best explanation for these differences is that all people are individuals who have different thoughts, processes, and reactions. Research has to follow legal rules and laws in order to keep results unbiased, ethical, and accurate. We also use research strategies and principles to criticize, assess, advise...
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...Bias in the Media Bias in the media still exists today and many sources have them. You might not catch the fake news but it is still out there. Many sources take each article differently whether it is bias or true. The information is key to these articles to spot the bias in them. We must be careful on what sources you choose to hear from because you might just be completely lied to. I brought up one topic that took many bias turns. Trump declaring Jerusalem as Israel's article is very bias in many different sources. ABC News was straight into the facts however CNN took some turns and had bias views. CNN showed me less of the topic at hand and kept arguing that one side is mores superior than another. I see why CNN is at the bottom because...
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...The first step in the students guide to research is to “Frame Your Research Question.” Framing a good research question is the most important step toward having a successful research project. Your research question should use multiple sources to back up your own distinctive argument and it should be developed accurately and carefully avoiding questions that can be answered in just a few statements. One of the major assumptions of the drug industry is the fact that all research is accurate and the results are true. In fact the results may not even be valid on the research of humans. Some companies that want to promote their product will sometimes add generalizations to the research criteria so that the results will look good in their favor. These research studies are being done by employees of the drug companies and/or parties that are being financially compensated for their input. Companies that are doing this are actually putting the consumer at risk for many other medical problems or even death, all for the sake of making money. My opinion about the drug industry is that these companies are so hungry for money that they just don’t care that they are endangering other people’s lives. They are willing to let money get in the way of having a trustworthy and reliable company. They must not forget that some of their own family members may one day be prescribed the exact medicine that they have falsely claimed is safe with minimal side effects. I would recommend that...
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...Assignment 1: Evaluating Bias in Research By: Andrew Snyder Professor: Dr. Belinda Hartnett Introduction to Sociology 23JAN2016 Assignment 1: Evaluating Bias in Research By: Andrew Snyder The first step in the Students Guide to Research is to frame your research question. In order to frame your research question properly you need to be formulating the research question precisely and carefully, which makes this one of the most important steps toward ensuring a successful research project. I would say that in order to accomplish this step I would need to build my research question by defining the subject of the research and then proceeding to explain as to how I would measure or evaluate it in order to answer the question at hand. In identifying the major assumptions and biases of the drug industry that underlie drug research you can pretty much find out that the research has been rigged to favor the drug itself and or the drug company. The reason being is that the research will one way or another point to the manufacturer of the drug paying off the people that are reviewing the drug so that the article will favor the drug company and will lead to the company making more money. These companies favor money far more than helping people. As a consumer, I feel pretty much the same way about what the article speaks about. I feel that the only reason why we don’t have cures for many diseases in this day and age is because the greedy chief executives of these pharmaceutical...
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...Student’s guide to research: a four step process The first step to research is to know where to start… your library! Step 1: Define your topic Understand your assignment. Get an overview of your topic using general reference sources, such as text books, dictionaries and encyclopedias. List keywords for searches (e.g. names, places, people, dates, issues, ideas) Step 2: Locate and evaluate your resources Explore a variety of resources: o Books o Magazines, journals, newspapers – Using Article Databases, see page 3. o Internet Review your resources. Check for: o Authority (author’s expertise, reputable organization) o Point of view (bias) o Accuracy (verify the facts) o Dates (how current is it? does currency matter?) o Relevance (does the information address your topic?) Choose the best and most reliable sources Ask your school librarian Step 3: Searching Use your list of keywords in your searches Try synonyms (different words that mean the same) in your searches Organize your search results into a logical order Step 4: Document your sources When taking notes, photocopying, or printing, be sure to record: o Author o Title o Place of publication o Name of publisher o Page numbers used o Date of publishing o Last updated date (for websites) o URL (for websites) Use the MLA, APA, Chicago/Traditional bibliographic style guides to ensure proper format. Ask yourself: Have I answered the questions about my topic? Are the...
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...Racial Bias in Therapy: How to ethically treat all cultures Heather Worthey Liberty University Abstract Despite how technologically advanced the United States is, the United States has a long way to go when it comes to bias. Racial bias is alive and thriving today. One's skin color does not make them less or more of a person, but some still hold onto the hatred they have for others. Some racial bias is conscious in the words and language used. Racial bias can be placed on others unintentionally by our thoughts and actions. As counselors, we have to be able to keep our bias in check. Having bias in therapy can be detrimental to our clients and to us professionally. When we let our biases cloud our judgment, we may look negatively on others when she should be trying to help them instead. Letting our biases be part of therapy can also set us up for ethical violations which could endanger our licensure. It is important that helping professionals take the time to educate themselves on racial bias and make the efforts to not let bias effect their clients and the therapy sessions. As counselors, one will interact with many different people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Counseling is no exception to the cycles of racism, despite the education and intentions of therapists who would like to think they would never deliberately act in a racist manner toward any of their clients. Unfortunately, even when a therapist has received multicultural training, racism...
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...traditional methods can create biases that may unduly influence manager decisions about consumer behavior. For example, a type of bias that can result from the use of technology is sampling bias. “A common cause of sampling bias lies in the design of the study or in the data collection procedure, both of which may favor or disfavor collecting data from certain classes or individuals or in certain conditions. Sampling bias is also particularly prominent whenever researchers adopt sampling strategies based on judgment or convenience, in which the criterion used to select samples is somehow related to the variables of interest” (Panzeri, Magri, and Carraro, 2008). A second type of bias that may result from the use of technology is response bias. “In survey sampling, response bias refers to the bias that results from problems in the measurement process. This bias may result from leading questions, in which the wording of the question may be loaded in some way to unduly favor one response over another, or social desirability, because most people like to present themselves in a favorable light, so they will be reluctant to admit to unsavory attitudes or illegal activities in a survey” (Statistics and Probability Dictionary, 2014). The use of technology in data collection is evident in TV advertising and credit card purchases and could be subject to bias. “Given the hundreds of companies tracking consumers’ online behavior, information, such as...
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...Bias comes in many forms, including race, age, gender, and ethnicity and can be universal or location specific (Fiske, 2010). Biased individuals believe the biases they are applying to others are right without regard for the truth (Fiske). Prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination are all somewhat similar; however, they are also very different. Each form of bias is performed by one individual or group of individuals judging another individual or group of individuals prior to obtaining factual knowledge of the individual or group (Fiske). However, each form of bias is performed with a different focus. An individual behaves in a prejudicial manner when he or she has an emotional reaction to another individual or group of individuals based on preconceived ideas about the individual or group (Fiske, 2010). For example, a White individual refusing to drink from the same water fountain as a Black individual based solely on racial bias represents prejudice by the White individual. The White individual has no factual information to support not drinking from the same water fountain; however, he or she has a preconceived idea of the Black individual and therefore refuses to use the same drinking fountain. According to Fiske (2010), stereotyping is the application of an individual’s own thoughts, beliefs, and expectations onto other individuals without first obtaining factual knowledge about the individual(s). Many times, stereotypes are created after multiple occurrences of a similar...
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...In response to Luke 24:13-35, a passage fittingly entitled, “On the Road to Emmaus” (New International Version), I can see the bias mindset that Cleopas and Simon posses. It appears that, at first, these two men missed the significance of history’s greatest event because they were preoccupied [or focused] on their own problems and disappointments. Not only that, they were walking in the wrong direction, away from the fellowship with other believers. Also, I think it’s important to remember that the Jews of this day were Messianic Jews and by that I mean, most Jews displayed much skepticism regarding Christ’s declaration to being the Savior and Redeemer of Israel: the Messiah. Even today, many Jews still believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not ‘the Messiah.’ I say this because of reading verse 21, when Cleopas states, “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). These two men appear to have experienced a type of cognitive bias, according to Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, and Zechmeister (2009). Undoubtedly, the disciples had evidence of Jesus’ presence within their hearts, yet they chose to ignore it still: whereby they actually questioned each other saying, “were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). As Shaughnessy et al. (2009) states, “our intuition about what is true does not always agree with what is actually true because we fail to recognize that...
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