personal equation

American  

noun

1. the tendency to personal bias that accounts for variation in interpretation or approach and for which allowance must be made.

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personal equation British  

noun

1. the variation or error in observation or judgment caused by individual characteristics

2. the allowance made for such variation

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Etymology

Origin of personal equation

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Relations between the U.S. and Europe are complicated by the personal equation.

From Time Magazine Archive

There are experimentalists, like Picasso, and those who, like Braque, discover their personal equation and go on repeating it.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is clearly brought out in contrast to non-scientific investigation, where personal equation counts for a great deal more.

From The pragmatic theory of truth as developed by Peirce, James, and Dewey by Geyer, Delton Loring

One must not forget the personal equation which enters into even accurate instrumental recording in medicine and surgery.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall

The personal equation must always be taken into account in dealing with either; excellent sportsmen of equal experience give conflicting accounts of the performances of the two types.

From Hunting in Many Lands The Book of the Boone and Crockett Club by Various