Skill 1.4 Understanding procedures for collecting and interpreting data to minimize bias

Skill 1.4 Understanding procedures for collecting and interpreting data to minimize bias 

Experimental bias occurs when a researcher favors one particular outcome over another in an experimental setup. In order to avoid bias, it is imperative to set up each experiment under exactly the same conditions, including a control experiment, an experiment with a known negative outcome. Additionally, in order to avoid experimental bias, a researcher must not read particular results into data. 

An example of experimental bias can be seen in the example of the mouse in the maze experiment. In this example, a researcher is timing mice as they move through the maze towards a piece of cheese. The experiment relies on the mouse s ability to smell the cheese as it approaches. If one mouse chases a piece of Cheddar cheese, while another chases Limburger, or so called stinky cheese, clearly the Limburger mouse has a huge advantage over the mouse chasing Cheddar. To remove the experimental bias from this experiment, the same cheese should be used in both tests. 

---