Bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group ...

is an inclination toward something, or a predisposition, partiality, prejudice, preference, or predilection. Bias may also refer to:

Scientific method and statistics

* The bias introduced into an experiment through a

confounder In statistics, a confounder (also confounding variable, confounding factor, extraneous determinant or lurking variable) is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable, causing a spurious association. Con ...

Algorithmic bias Algorithmic bias describes systematic and repeatable errors in a computer system that create " unfair" outcomes, such as "privileging" one category over another in ways different from the intended function of the algorithm. Bias can emerge from ...

, machine learning algorithms that exhibit politically unacceptable behavior * Cultural bias, interpreting and judging phenomena in terms particular to one's own culture *

Funding bias Funding bias, also known as sponsorship bias, funding outcome bias, funding publication bias, and funding effect, refers to the tendency of a scientific study to support the interests of the study's financial sponsor. This phenomenon is recognized ...

, bias relative to the commercial interests of a study's financial sponsor * Infrastructure bias, the influence of existing social or scientific infrastructure on scientific observations * Publication bias, bias toward publication of certain experimental results *

Bias (statistics) Statistical bias is a systematic tendency which causes differences between results and facts. The bias exists in numbers of the process of data analysis, including the source of the data, the estimator chosen, and the ways the data was analyzed. ...

, the systematic distortion of a statistic ** Biased sample, a sample falsely taken to be typical of a population **

Estimator bias In statistics, the bias of an estimator (or bias function) is the difference between this estimator's expected value and the true value of the parameter being estimated. An estimator or decision rule with zero bias is called ''unbiased''. In stat ...

, a bias from an estimator whose expectation differs from the true value of the parameter *

Personal equation The term personal equation, in 19th- and early 20th-century science, referred to the idea that every individual observer had an inherent bias when it came to measurements and observations. Astronomy The term originated in astronomy, when it was ...

, a concept in 19th- and early 20th-century science that each observer had an inherent bias when it came to measurements and observations *

Reporting bias In epidemiology, reporting bias is defined as "selective revealing or suppression of information" by subjects (for example about past medical history, smoking, sexual experiences). In artificial intelligence research, the term reporting bias is u ...

, a bias resulting from what is and isn't reported in research, either by participants in the research or by the researcher.

Cognitive science

* Cognitive bias, any of a wide range of effects identified in cognitive science. ** Confirmation bias, tendency of people to favor information that confirm their beliefs of hypothesis ** See List of cognitive biases for a comprehensive list

Mathematics and engineering

Exponent bias In IEEE 754 floating-point numbers, the exponent is biased in the engineering sense of the word – the value stored is offset from the actual value by the exponent bias, also called a biased exponent. Biasing is done because exponents have to be ...

, the constant offset of an exponent's value * Inductive bias, the set of assumptions that a machine learner uses to predict outputs of given inputs that it has not encountered. * Seat bias, any bias in a method of apportionment that favors either large or small parties over the other

Electricity

* Biasing, a voltage or current added to an electronic device to move its operating point to a desired part of its transfer function *

Grid bias In electronics, biasing is the setting of DC (direct current) operating conditions (current and voltage) of an active device in an amplifier. Many electronic devices, such as diodes, transistors and vacuum tubes, whose function is processing ...

of a vacuum tube, used to control the electron flow from the heated cathode to the positively charged anode *

Tape bias Tape bias is the term for two techniques, AC bias and DC bias, that improve the fidelity of analogue tape recorders. DC bias is the addition of direct current to the audio signal that is being recorded. AC bias is the addition of an inaud ...

(also AC bias), a high-frequency signal (generally from 40 to 150 kHz) added to the audio signal recorded on an analog tape recorder

Places

* Bias, Landes, on the coast in southwestern France * Bias, Lot-et-Garonne, in southwestern France * Bias, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Bias Bay, now called Daya Bay, in Guangdong Province, China * Bias River, a river in north-western India

People

Bias (mythology) In Greek mythology, Bias (; grc, Βίας; ) may refer to the following characters: * Bias, a Megarian prince as a son of King Lelex and brother to Cleson and Pterelaus. He was killed by his nephew Pylas, also a Megarian king. After the murder ...

, multiple figures in Greek mythology * Bias Brahmin, a Brahmin community found in India *

Bias of Priene Bias (; Greek: Βίας ὁ Πριηνεύς; fl. 6th century BC) of Priene was a Greek sage. He is widely accepted as one of the Seven Sages of Greece and was renowned for his probity. Life Bias was born at Priene (modern-day Güllübahçe, Tur ...

, one of the Seven Sages of Greece * Bias, a Spartan commander caught in an ambush by the Athenian general Iphicrates * Fanny Bias (1789–1825), French dancer, one of the first who raised on pointes *

Len Bias Leonard Kevin Bias (November 18, 1963June 19, 1986) was an American college basketball player who attended the University of Maryland. During his four years playing for Maryland, he was named a first-team All-American. Two days after being selec ...

(1963–1986), American basketball player * Oliver Bias (born 2001), footballer * Tiffany Bias (born 1992), Thai basketball player

Organisations

BIAS Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group ...

(Berkley Integrated Audio Software), a software company specializing in sound processing software such as Peak and SoundSoap * Bremer Institut für angewandte Strahltechnik (BIAS), a research institute dedicated to applied laser optics * Belgian International Air Services (BIAS), a former airline from Belgium (1959–80) *

Birla Institute of Applied Sciences Birla Institute of Applied Sciences (BIAS), is a higher education institute located in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, India. It is a sister institute to the Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi. Formerly affiliated to Kumaon University, it is aff ...

(BIAS), a higher education institute located in Bhimtal, Uttaranchal, India

In other areas

* ''Bias'' (book), a book by journalist Bernard Goldberg * ''Bias'' (bird), the genus of the

black-and-white shrike-flycatcher The black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (''Bias musicus''), also known as the black-and-white flycatcher or vanga flycatcher, is a species of passerine bird found in Africa. It was placed with the wattle-eyes and batises in the family Platysteiri ...

* Bias (textile) of a woven fabric, the 45-degree diagonal line along which it is most stretchable * Bias frame, an image obtained from an opto-electronic image sensor, with no actual exposure time *

Bias ratio (finance) The bias ratio is an indicator used in finance to analyze the returns of investment portfolios, and in performing due diligence. The bias ratio is a concrete metric that detects valuation bias or deliberate price manipulation of portfolio assets ...

, an indicator used in finance to analyze the returns of investment portfolios, and in performing due diligence *

Media bias Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening of J ...

, the influence journalists and news producers have in selecting stories to report and how they are covered