SOCI 2001B: Assignment 6

Professor Alex Bing

Ashlyn Murray - 101231372

March 22, 2023

Reflection 2, Question 2

After taking a look at my own project “The Effects of an Absent Mother on Female

Students Relationships with Other Female Students” in relation to the three biases that we were

taught about in class, I believe there are definitely some areas where bias could possibly arise.

Particularly, this potential bias relates to the fact that I as the researcher am a female student who

grew up in a household surrounded by a mother, older sister, grandmother, and aunt which is

completely opposite from the experiences of the individuals that I am interested in studying. As a

result of this, I believe the second bias we learnt about surrounding unequal privilege could most

likely play a role.

Specifically, since I had the privilege of growing up with a variety of female authority

figures in my life I may not be able to effectively understand and sympathize with my

participants who have not shared these same privileged experiences. Due to these different

privileges I may end up being blinded by my own childhood experiences with my mother, sister,

grandmother, etc. and overlook or downplay the unfamiliar feelings and perspectives presented

to me by participants. Further, while my privileges may bias my ability to sympathize with the

experiences of my participants, it could also bias my participants into feeling as if they are

unable to completely and honestly share their experiences and opinions with me. To be more

specific, as a female university student with these privileges studying the relationships of other
female university students who lack these experiences, an imbalance of power may arise between

me a university student being a researcher and the other university students being participants.

Resultantly, the participants may become hesitant to share how they truly feel and what they

have gone through as they are uncomfortable with the idea of another person who is ‘on their

level’, a university student, gaining deep insight into their experiences and perspectives and most

importantly interpreting this information as data for broader learning purposes.

Regardless, as a researcher it is crucial that I recognize this potential bias when designing

and carrying through with my project and take every step possible to mitigate it. This includes

providing things to participants such as an unscripted interview process that will allow for an

open conversation that they can direct and control on their own basis as well as a non-

judgemental environment where they can feel comfortable during one-on-one interviews, which I

plan to do in a private room at Haven Café and Books.