Recall bias
Encyclopedia
In psychology
, recall bias is a type of systematic bias which occurs when the way a survey
respondent answers a question is affected not just by the correct answer, but also by the respondent's memory. This can affect the results of the survey. As a hypothetical example, suppose that a survey in 2005 asked respondents whether they believed that O.J. Simpson had killed his wife, 10 years after the criminal trial. Respondents who believed him innocent might be more likely to have forgotten about the case, and therefore to state no opinion, than respondents who thought him guilty. If this is the case, then the survey would find a higher-than-accurate proportion of people who believed that Simpson did kill his wife.
Relatedly but distinctly, the term might also be used to describe an instance where a survey respondent intentionally responds incorrectly to a question about their personal history which results in response bias
. As a hypothetical example, suppose that a researcher conducts a survey among women of group A, asking whether they have had an abortion, and the same survey among women of group B. If the results are different between the two groups, it might be that women of one group are less likely to have had an abortion, or it might simply be that women of one group who have had abortions are less likely to admit to it. If the latter is the case, then this would skew the survey results; this is a kind of response bias
. (It is also possible that both are the case: women of one group are less likely to have had abortions, and women of one group who have had abortions are less likely to admit to it. This would still affect the survey statistics.)
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, recall bias is a type of systematic bias which occurs when the way a survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
respondent answers a question is affected not just by the correct answer, but also by the respondent's memory. This can affect the results of the survey. As a hypothetical example, suppose that a survey in 2005 asked respondents whether they believed that O.J. Simpson had killed his wife, 10 years after the criminal trial. Respondents who believed him innocent might be more likely to have forgotten about the case, and therefore to state no opinion, than respondents who thought him guilty. If this is the case, then the survey would find a higher-than-accurate proportion of people who believed that Simpson did kill his wife.
Relatedly but distinctly, the term might also be used to describe an instance where a survey respondent intentionally responds incorrectly to a question about their personal history which results in response bias
Response bias
Response bias is a type of cognitive bias which can affect the results of a statistical survey if respondents answer questions in the way they think the questioner wants them to answer rather than according to their true beliefs...
. As a hypothetical example, suppose that a researcher conducts a survey among women of group A, asking whether they have had an abortion, and the same survey among women of group B. If the results are different between the two groups, it might be that women of one group are less likely to have had an abortion, or it might simply be that women of one group who have had abortions are less likely to admit to it. If the latter is the case, then this would skew the survey results; this is a kind of response bias
Response bias
Response bias is a type of cognitive bias which can affect the results of a statistical survey if respondents answer questions in the way they think the questioner wants them to answer rather than according to their true beliefs...
. (It is also possible that both are the case: women of one group are less likely to have had abortions, and women of one group who have had abortions are less likely to admit to it. This would still affect the survey statistics.)