An implicit bias is an unconscious association, belief, orattitudetoward any social group.
It is important to remember that implicit biases operate almost entirelyunconsciously.
While explicit biases and prejudices are intentional and controllable, implicit biases are less so.
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While unconscious, implicit biases can have a powerful impact on everyday behavior.
Such biases do not necessarily align with oursense of selfand personal identity.
Why Does Implicit Bias Happen?
It simply means that your brain works in a way that makes associations and generalizations.
We are influenced by our environment and stereotypes that already exist in the society into which we were born.
It’s also generally impossible to separate ourselves from the influence of society.
it’s possible for you to’t just turn off society’s influence.
you might, however, become more aware of your unconscious thinking and how society influences you.
In 1998, Banaji and Greenwald published their now-famous Implicit Association Test (IAT) to support theirhypothesis.
Among the main criticisms are findings that the test results may lackreliability.
Respondents may score high on racial bias on one test, and low the next time they are tested.
Research suggests that the IAT has an average test-retest reliability of .50.
Experts suggest that this is adequate for some comparisons.
Also of concern is that scores on the test may not necessarily correlate with individual behavior.
Other forms of discrimination that can be influenced by unconscious biases includeageism,sexism,homophobia, andableism.
Or the existence and effects of bias, prejudice, and discrimination in the real world.
Such prejudices can have very real and potentially devastating consequences.
What they found was that the average employer was called Black applicants 9% less than White ones.
Such discrimination is likely the result of both explicit and implicit biases toward racial groups.
Research has found that there is an overwhelming racial disparity in how Black defendants are treated in criminal sentencing.
Takeaways
Implicit biases can be troubling, but they are also a pervasive part of life.
Perhaps more troubling, your unconscious attitudes may not necessarily align with your declared beliefs.
The good news is that these implicit biases are not set in stone.
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PEW.Racial disparities persist in many U.S. jails.
