Conflict of Interest and Confirmation Bias

Definition

Hypothesis: Conflict of interest (in research) = the design or conduct of your research study could be motivated in part by something other than the desire for the truth. (That is, you may seem to prefer one outcome over the other).

A widely used definition is: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.”[1] Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public officer. Secondary interest includes personal benefit and is not limited to only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement, or the wish to do favours for family and friends. These secondary interests are not treated as wrong in and of themselves, but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. Conflict of interest rules in the public sphere mainly focus on financial relationships since they are relatively more objective, fungible, and quantifiable, and usually involve the political, legal, and medical fields.

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Corollary: Conflict of interest -> you will seem to be motivated to achieve one outcome over the others.

Corollary: Conflict of interest vs impartial conduct -> likely to be less truthful vs likely to be more truthful -> people can’t trust your results vs they can.

Test: You get paid more if your results favour a patron. – you may skew your results or not publish unfavourable results.

Test: People believe academic studies more than industry studies – conflict of interest makes your results less trustworthy.

Adopt an Impartial Scientific Attitude

Corollary: When you need to test a hypothesis, put on your scientific-thinking hat and subject it to harsh tests. (How?)