Is there a potential for bias when a researcher chooses a topic they personally find interesting? When choosing a research topic, many researchers (in the field of psychology, in my case) often choose to study a topic they find interesting or have experience in. Does this introduce more potential for bias in their work?
I have done this myself. I am doing research into an area that I also work in, and enjoy as a hobby. I see that this has the benefit of existing knowledge in that area, and more motivation to continue researching the topic. But to what degree is it problematic that the researcher is personally involved in their field of interest? Is there a conflict of interest when someone struggling with addiction does academic research into addiction? Does the methodology affect this? Does a qualitative researcher have less personal bias than a qualitative researcher interpreting their findings?
The short answer is, well, yes. But what alternative would you propose? Forcing researchers to work on topics they aren’t passionate about seems like a bad idea. Academia has few financial incentives as compared to industry. The only reason many stay is because of the freedom it affords them. Take away that, and there’s not much keeping people in it.
Keeping researchers’ biases in check is what peer review is for. Even if you happen to work on a topic you aren’t super passionate about (say, you got moderately involved in a project due to a very specific skill you bring in), you still have an incentive to publish the results, which should be kept in check regardless of personal interest.