Book Tools to Assess Information Bias

The Bias Assessment Form is designed to accompany Bias Is All Around You: A Handbook for Inspecting Social Media & News Stories. The book is available as a paperback via Amazon, electronically as a Kindle, an Audible format, and as a hard cover through Barnes & Noble. The password to obtain the form is found in the book.

The Bias Assessment Form is a PDF file you can download to your laptop as a master template for vetting any piece of information. If you use the form to inspect multiple pieces of information do a save as for each article, video, social media post, etc., using the title of that information, for example. 

Tips for assessing Q 8, your personal biases:

Take a simple 7 question personal bias survey now!  See how you compare to others upon completion. Your personal results are confidential. How Does Your Own Biases Affect How You Interpret Information?

Then further consider these definitions before you rate whether your biases impede your ability to objectively analyze a piece of information?  

Confirmation Bias - Individuals who typically only search for information that confirms their own biases.

Anchoring - Individuals who rely on the first piece of information that typically aligns with their biases.

Affinity Bias - Individuals who typically prefer the company of people they know and like.  This may preclude them for searching valid information from unfamiliar but otherwise trusted sources.

Conformity Bias - Individuals who value information others approve so they feel like they fit in.

Halo Effect - Individuals who may only align with information by people who have the same education level, income, or who have achieved similar milestones they value like themselves.

Enjoy the detecting bias process as it can allow you to be more confident before accepting and sharing information.