What is implicit bias?
- Implicit bias helps people make decisions more efficiently by working with patterns and categories
- Because of the speed these inferences and decisions are made, the associations are not always accurate
- People in society are generally sorted by:
- skin color
- ethnic origin
- age
- weight or height
- accent or speech patterns
- disability
- physical appearance or ability
- gender identity
- sexual orientation
- socioeconomic status or title
- domestic circumstances
- No one is immune from bias and biases don’t make people bad - they make people human
5 types of unconscious bias
How does one reduce their biases?
The first step to reducing your biases is to identify them.
- AFFINITY BIAS: the tendency to gravitate or give preference towards people who are similar to yourself
- People are naturally inclined to give value and give importance to things that are relevant to them personally
- In this way people tend to surround themselves with people with similar interests, qualities, and backgrounds
- Are my strong feelings about a person or thing based on similarities or differences to me?
- People are naturally inclined to give value and give importance to things that are relevant to them personally
- PERCEPTION BIAS: making assumptions about people based on their gender identity, race/ethnicity, religion, physical appearance or perceived ability, intro/extroversion, sexual orientation, background or economic status, marital or parental status, and age
- How do labels and assumptions factor into my feelings?
- CONFIRMATION BIAS: tendency to only seek out information that further confirms your preconceived notions or beliefs
- This creates an echo chamber in which you find only supporting information when you look for information that confirms your assumptions
- What information do I miss by ‘confirming’ what I think I know? Have I considered counterarguments?
- GROUPTHINK: tendency for people to conform or go along with the group rather than forming and expressing a differing opinion
- This is largely due to humans being social creatures and wanting to fit in, whether that is consciously or subconsciously
- Would I think differently if my opinion were anonymous?
- THE HALO AND HORNS EFFECT:
- HALO: when you’re so focused on the good qualities of a person or situation that you overlook anything bad
- HORNS: when you let one negative quality about a person or situation overshadow anything good
- Am I overlooking objectively positive or negative traits and behaviors based on past experiences with this person?
The consequences of bias
- If a person is presented friction - in which the brain’s tendencies are interrupted - then they are more likely to slow down, which in turn prevents biases from turning into harmful actions
- Workplace consequences of unconscious bias:
- stifled creativity
- unfair performance evaluations
- unequal circumstances
- arbitrary growth opportunities
“Avoid harmful or negative behavior by slowing down and reflecting on quick-moving thoughts… To create a fair and inclusive workplace, it’s imperative to take a step back and reflect.”