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Statistical Bias

Statistical bias is a systematic departure of the average result of a statistical procedure from the quantity it is intended to estimate. For an estimator theta^^ of a parameter theta, the estimator bias is

Bias(theta^^)=<theta^^>-theta.

The estimator is unbiased when this difference is zero. Bias can also result from systematic sampling, measurement, or treatment-assignment procedures, so randomization is an important safeguard in experimental design.

See also

Biased Estimator, Estimator Bias, Experimental Design, Unbiased Estimator

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References

National Institute of Standards and Technology. "Bias." In NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods. https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/glossary.htm.

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Statistical Bias." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/StatisticalBias.html

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