What is response bias?

Response bias refers to an influence that leads individuals to provide inaccurate or distorted responses, often due to various influences that can affect how questions are answered. This can occur for a number of reasons, such as the wording of the questions, the participant's mood, or a desire to respond in a way that is perceived as more desirable or acceptable.

In the context of psychological research, understanding response bias is crucial because it can significantly impact the validity and reliability of the findings. When participants do not respond truthfully or accurately, the data collected may not reflect the true attitudes, feelings, or behaviors of the population being studied.

The other options, while related to social responses and survey methodology, do not directly capture the essence of what response bias fundamentally represents. The focus on social acceptability or enhancing honesty does not encapsulate the broader range of influences that cause responses to be inaccurate. Therefore, identifying response bias as an influence that leads to distorted responses aligns accurately with its definition within psychological research.