Implicit Bias and Antidiscrimination Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
Bertram Gawronski ◽  
Alison Ledgerwood ◽  
Paul W. Eastwick

The science behind implicit bias tests (e.g., Implicit Association Test) has become the target of increased criticism. However, policymakers seeking to combat discrimination care about reducing bias in people’s actual behaviors, not about changing a person’s score on an implicit bias test. In line with this argument, we postulate that scientific controversies about implicit bias tests are irrelevant for antidiscrimination policy, which should instead focus on implicit bias in actual discriminatory behavior that occurs outside of awareness (in addition to instances of explicit bias). Two well-documented mechanisms can lead to implicit bias in actual discriminatory behavior: biased weighting and biased interpretation of information about members of particular social groups. The policy relevance of the two mechanisms is illustrated with their impact on hiring and promotion decisions, jury selection, and policing. Implications for education and bias intervention are discussed.

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 340-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Lowes ◽  
Nathan Nunn ◽  
James A. Robinson ◽  
Jonathan Weigel

We use a variant of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to examine individuals' implicit attitudes towards various ethnic groups. Using a population from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we find that the IAT measures show evidence of an implicit bias in favor of one's own ethnicity. Individuals have implicit views of their own ethnic group that are more positive than their implicit views of other ethnic groups. We find this implicit bias to be quantitatively smaller than the (explicit) bias one finds when using self-reported attitudes about different ethnic groups.


Author(s):  
Pieter Van Dessel ◽  
Jan De Houwer ◽  
Anne Gast ◽  
Colin Tucker Smith

Prior research suggests that repeatedly approaching or avoiding a certain stimulus changes the liking of this stimulus. We investigated whether these effects of approach and avoidance training occur also when participants do not perform these actions but are merely instructed about the stimulus-action contingencies. Stimulus evaluations were registered using both implicit (Implicit Association Test and evaluative priming) and explicit measures (valence ratings). Instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were observed for relatively neutral fictitious social groups (i.e., Niffites and Luupites), but not for clearly valenced well-known social groups (i.e., Blacks and Whites). We conclude that instructions to approach or avoid stimuli can provide sufficient bases for establishing both implicit and explicit evaluations of novel stimuli and discuss several possible reasons for why similar instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were not found for valenced well-known stimuli.


2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 1117-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moa Bursell ◽  
Filip Olsson

In “Status Characteristics, Implicit Bias, and the Production of Racial Inequality,” Melamed, Munn, Barry, Montgomery, and Okuwobi present an innovative and intriguing study on social influence, status beliefs, and implicit racial bias. To capture status-based expectancies, the authors measure implicit racial status beliefs using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) with words related to high and low status. We identify an important flaw in the study’s analytic approach that severely limits the conclusions that can be drawn based on the study. We argue that the authors neglected to separate the valence of the words included in the racial status IAT with the stereotype content of these words. It is therefore possible that the study’s racial IAT only captures implicit racial evaluations, and not status-based implicit racial beliefs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Greenwald ◽  
Miguel Brendl ◽  
Huajian Cai ◽  
Dario Cvencek ◽  
John F. Dovidio ◽  
...  

[Version 3 (uploaded 21 April 2020) provides corrected list of co-authors and commenters; the ms. is otherwise unchanged from Versions 1 and 2.] Scientific interest in unintended discrimination that can result from implicit attitudes and stereotypes (implicit biases) has produced a large corpus of empirical findings. In addition to much evidence for validity and usefulness of Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures, there have been psychological critiques of empirical findings and theoretical disagreements about interpretation of IAT findings. Because of public attention drawn by the concept of implicit bias, commercial and other applications based on the concept of implicit bias have been developed by non-psychologists—some of these applications are not appropriately guided by the existing body of research findings. This article is in 5 parts: (1) review of best practices for research use of IAT measures, (2) summary of what has been confidently learned from empirical research using IAT measures, (3) accepted and controversial theoretical interpretations of IAT findings, (4) significant questions about the IAT and implicit bias that still await answer, and (5) questions arising in attempts to apply research findings to remedy unintended discrimination due to implicit biases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 267-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javeed Sukhera ◽  
Michael Wodzinski ◽  
Maham Rehman ◽  
Cristina M. Gonzalez

Abstract Introduction Implicit bias is a growing area of interest among educators. Educational strategies used to elicit awareness of implicit biases commonly include the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although the topic of implicit bias is gaining increased attention, emerging critique of the IAT suggests the need to subject its use to greater theoretical and empirical scrutiny. Methods The authors employed a meta-narrative synthesis to review existing research on the use of the IAT in health professions education. Four databases were searched using key terms yielding 1151 titles. After title, abstract and full-text screening, 38 articles were chosen for inclusion. Coding and analysis of articles sought a meaningful synthesis of educational approaches relating to the IAT, and the assumptions and theoretical positions that informed these approaches. Results Distinct, yet complementary, meta-narratives were found in the literature. The dominant perspective utilizes the IAT as a metric of implicit bias to evaluate the success of an educational activity. A contrasting narrative describes the IAT as a tool to promote awareness while triggering discussion and reflection. Discussion Whether used as a tool to measure bias, raise awareness or trigger reflection, the use of the IAT provokes tension between distinct meta-narratives, posing a challenge to educators. Curriculum designers should consider the premise behind the IAT before using it, and be prepared to address potential reactions from learners such as defensiveness or criticism. Overall, findings suggest that educational approaches regarding implicit bias require critical reflexivity regarding assumptions, values and theoretical positioning related to the IAT.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Chas ◽  
Verónica Betancor ◽  
Naira Delgado ◽  
Armando Rodríguez-Pérez

Abstract. Three studies were conducted to determine whether outgroups were dehumanized through animalization since childhood. Using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), in Study 1 we found faster reaction times in the compatible condition (ingroup names and human words, outgroup names and animal words), compared with the incompatible condition (ingroup names and animal words, outgroup names and human words). In Study 2, we used a paper-and-pencil design and found that the association between animal-related words and outgroups was more prevalent in comparison to ingroups. The participants of Study 3 selected a larger number of animal-related words to describe the outgroups than their own groups. Results revealed that the tendency to animalize is a process that begins during early childhood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-307
Author(s):  
Brendan Dwyer ◽  
Zach Scola ◽  
Joris Drayer

The current multi-study examination explored explicit and implicit appeal of a prominent form of retro sport marketing: retro team logos. Study 1 utilized the stimuli-organism-response framework to test preference differences between those offered team merchandise with a retro logo and those offered the same merchandise with the current logo. Statistically significant preference differences were not uncovered, yet it was found that previous exposure to the retro logo negatively impacted preference of the retro logo. Based on these results, Study 2 utilized an implicit association test to assess the style appeal of retro and current logos. This assessment, once again, found no difference in the explicit preference for the retro and current logos, yet an implicit bias of freshness toward the current logo and outdatedness toward the retro logo was found. Together, the results provide preliminary evidence of the ephemeral impact of retro team logos within a professional sports context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-549
Author(s):  
James Weyant

Using an independent groups design, an experiment was performed to test the hypothesis that a perspective taking exercise would reduce implicit bias against individuals who speak English as a second language. The dependent variable was a brief implicit association test, designed to detect bias against people who are Hispanic. Compared with a no-perspective taking control group, a perspective taking group showed no significant bias on the measure. Implications about how a perspective taking exercise might be applied more broadly are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 835-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan De Houwer

Implicit bias is often viewed as a hidden force inside people that makes them perform inappropriate actions. This perspective can induce resistance against the idea that people are implicitly biased and complicates research on implicit bias. I put forward an alternative perspective that views implicit bias as a behavioral phenomenon. more specifically, it is seen as behavior that is automatically influenced by cues indicative of the social group to which others belong. This behavioral perspective is less likely to evoke resistance because implicit bias is seen as something that people do rather than possess and because it clearly separates the behavioral phenomenon from its normative implications. Moreover, performance on experimental tasks such as the Implicit Association Test is seen an instance of implicitly biased behavior rather than a proxy of hidden mental biases. Because these tasks allow for experimental control, they provide ideal tools for studying the automatic impact of social cues on behavior, for predicting other instances of biased behavior, and for educating people about implicitly biased behavior. The behavioral perspective not only changes the way we think about implicit bias but also shifts the aims of research on implicit bias and reveals links with other behavioral approaches such as network modeling.


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