Bias – the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment Beware your Bias Beasts!
The burden of proof fallacy can often be seen in paranormal or pseudoscience
claims.
One example of the burden of proof fallacy is someone who claims that ghosts
exist, doesn’t provide any evidence, and instead shifts the burden of proof to
the person questioning the claim. This is often directed at mainstream science
or persons requiring scientific evidence. ‘Prove that ghosts don’t exist!’. I was
once told.
The burden of proof should sit with the person making an extraordinary claim
(that ghosts exist) which is outside our current understanding of the laws of
physics. Otherwise, we can claim the existence of just about anything without
having a single shred of evidence, and then throw the burden of proof back to
the person questioning the claim. ‘The eight-eyed, flying shit blob monster does
exist I tell ya, prove it doesn’t!’.
Mike H
A key part of the scientific method is the ability to meet the requirements of
repeatability and reproducibility. Alongside peer reviews, they are essential in
providing proof of a claim’s authenticity to the larger community. This allows
for any bias (conscious or unconscious) to be effectively constrained in the
pursuit of a true finding.
1/ Repeatability – Can the same team obtain the same result using the same
method, under the same operating conditions, using the same equipment?
Repeatability is also essential in determining the accuracy of your measuring
tools
2/ Reproducibility – Can a different team perform the same experiment or study
and obtain an acceptable degree of agreement with the result whilst using
different equipment in a different location? An experiment is reproducible if it
can replicate the results anywhere and by anyone who accurately follows the
method.
Mike H
Confirmation bias is something we tend to fall into without noticing. This is a
cognitive bias that describes our tendency to cherry-pick, recall, and interpret
information confirming our existing ideas, views, and values. We can be
especially guilty of this if the evidence presented, could disprove a long-
standing belief and one to which we are emotionally attached to.
Mike H
Conformity bias is the tendency to change one’s beliefs or behaviour to fit in with others. Instead of using their own judgment, individuals often take cues from the group they are with, belong to, or seek to belong to about what is right or appropriate. They then adapt their own behaviour accordingly. For example, they may corroborate the eyewitness account of someone else within the group (particularly an authority figure) even if they did not see the event in question.