The purpose of this research is to examine aspects of bias and prejudice. The plan of the research will be to set forth selected major academic, professional, practitioner, and intellectual biases that have emerged in the psychology discipline in the past and in the current period, and then to connect such prejudices with equivalent attitudes in education and the media. Finally, an outline of research resources that may help diminish bias while fostering critical thinking in the discipline will be suggested, with a view toward demonstrating that remedies are available to combat the negative effects of bias in psychology research, analysis, and practice.
Whether progressive or intolerant, individual and group attitudes are a consequence of the interpenetration of several influences: personal-psychological-internal, educational-exter nal-formal, and cultural-external-informal. In their discussion of research and writing methods and strategies, Barzun and Graff deal with how to recognize bias in psychology, academia, and me dia and how researchers might avoid falling into the traps of bias. The difficulty of this project is suggested by Paul, who cites Scriven's view that "common usage does not discriminate accurately or effectively between having strong and reasonable convictions about something and being biased about it." That is, indiscriminate accusations of bias do not serve serious discourse any more than does bias itself.
Bias in psychology arises either unconsciously or willfully, according to Barzun and Graff. They argue that all researchers bring preconceptions to a project of analysis but that their personal background, education, and experience of prevailing culture can be a factor of biased analysis if they lack self-awareness or imagination. However, they argue, in the research project these two factors must be combined with a commitment to accuracy, love of order, honesty, and logic if the research is to be of value...