Implicit Bias. Gurjeet Chahal Meiyi He Yuezhou Sun

Transcription

1 Implicit Bias Gurjeet Chahal Meiyi He Yuezhou Sun

2 Outline - What is implicit bias? - Which part of the brain? - Methodologies in studying implicit bias - Comparing different studies & results - How to reduce implicit bias - General takeaways

3 What is Implicit Bias? AKA Implicit Social Cognition Activated involuntarily and w/o an individual s awareness or intentional control Attitudes or stereotypes that are carried with us Leads to favorable/unfavorable assessments

4 Examples of Implicit Bias 1. Resumes with ethnic sounding names pushed down in the selection for interviews. 2. Asian candidates given priority positions requiring math and science. 3. Women more frequently interrupted in business meetings.

5 Facts about Implicit Racial Bias - Our implicit biases are not permanent; they are malleable and can be changed by devoting intention, attention, and time to developing new associations. (Blair, 2002; Dasgupta, 2013; Devine, 1989)

6 Attitudes Behavior

7 When the amygdala is activated, the cognitive tendency is to generalize more, which increases the likelihood of accidental connections. There is a tendency to err on the safe side, shrinking from opportunities. People become more likely to react defensively to stimuli. This means that our ability to understand, make decisions, remember, memorize, plan, inhibit impulses, solve problems, and communicate is impaired. You struggle to see the big picture and ultimately your overall productivity drops -Manie Bosman CeO

8 Which areas of the brain are involved? Amygdala Immediate, reflexive, defensive reaction to others Hippocampus Forms links between memories and quickly deciphers the meaning of data received Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Anterior Cingulate Cortex

9 Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias

10 Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias 1. Implicit-association Test (IAT) - Captures the differences in time between how long it takes someone to choose between two unassociated but related topics. - Study: Harvesting Implicit Group Attitudes and Beliefs From a Demonstration Website

11 Harvard IAT Web Study

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13 Result of the Study (Race) Positive Cohen s ds reflect a preference for White over Black; negative values reflect a preference for Black over White. Nosek, Brian A., et al. Harvesting Implicit Group Attitudes and Beliefs from a Demonstration Web Site. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, vol. 6, no. 1, 2002, pp

14 Result of the Study (Age) Positive Cohen s ds reflect a preference for young over old; negative values reflect a preference for old over young. Nosek, Brian A., et al. Harvesting Implicit Group Attitudes and Beliefs from a Demonstration Web Site. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, vol. 6, no. 1, 2002, pp

15 Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias 2. Semantic Priming and Lexical Decision Task(LDT) - Measures the association between two concepts - Semantic priming: subjects are quicker to identify a word if preceded by a word related to it in meaning ( e.g. bread-butter vs. bread-dog)

16 Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias 2. Semantic Priming and Lexical Decision Task(LDT)

17 Methodologies in studying Implicit Bias 2. Semantic Priming and Lexical Decision Task(LDT) - Can also be used to reveal implicit associations between stereotypic-congruent words - Participants asked to indicate whether pronouns are male or female - reveal strength of association between professions and gender - female ( secretary nurse ) or male ( mechanic doctor )

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20 Face-based social attribution 1) Leadership selection and Rank attainment - We form impressions of aspiring leaders from their faces, which in turn predict their success in reaching prestigious leadership positions

21 Face-based social attribution 2) Affect judgement of trusts, guilt, and criminality - more likely to trust (less likely to convict) if their faces are perceived to look trustworthy or innocent - Voters who have limited political knowledge tends to vote for competent-looking faces

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23 Reducing Implicit Bias

24 Effect of Training via Video Games Bessarabova, Elena, et al. "Mitigating bias blind spot via a serious video game." Computers in Human Behavior 62 (2016):

25 Bias Blind Spot (BBS) A failure to recognize bias in oneself while overestimating it in others. People have ready access to their own introspective information, but not to the introspections of others. Therefore, they tend to overestimate the diagnostic utility of their own introspections.

26 Idea Forewarning strategies are marginally effective, an may reinforce the bias. People are unable to remember examples of their own biased decision makings. The best way is to make the participants believe they generate weak arguments, so they become less certain about their attitudes and are more vulnerable to counter-persuasions.

27 MACBETH Game Contents A series of scenarios describe impending terrorist attacks You need to identify the suspect, location, and weapon Co-testing other biases Experiment Procedure Pretest Game play Posttest (repetition group) Game play (repetition group) Posttest2 8-week posttest

28 Conditions Examined Implicit (reward system) versus Hybrid (plus pop-up bias education) 30 min versus 60 min (game duration) Once versus Twice (repetition) Immediate versus Delayed feedback Single player versus Multi player Measurements BBS knowledge BBS score

29 Results

30 Effect of Training via Video Games Bessarabova, Elena, et al. "Mitigating bias blind spot via a serious video game." Computers in Human Behavior 62 (2016): Works!

31 Effect of Media Dasgupta, Nilanjana. "Implicit attitudes and beliefs adapt to situations: A decade of research on the malleability of implicit prejudice, stereotypes, and the self-concept." Advances in experimental social psychology. Vol. 47. Academic Press,

32 IAT for good/bad associations Take Black/White implicit bias as example Three groups of participants take an general knowledge test The tests incorporate examples of either admired Black + notorious White (pro-black), admired White + notorious Black (pro-white), or irrelevant plants and animals (neutral) They take the IAT test immediately after the experiment And retake it after 24 hours

33 Effect of Media Similar experiments on Age (bias: younger people are better) Sexuality (bias: straight people are better) Ethnic diversity (bias: only white people are reliable American citizens) All yield the same results Effects are weaker or non-existent on people without previous bias. Media exposure does affect a person s implicit bias Works!

34 Effect of Environment Dasgupta, Nilanjana. "Implicit attitudes and beliefs adapt to situations: A decade of research on the malleability of implicit prejudice, stereotypes, and the self-concept." Advances in experimental social psychology. Vol. 47. Academic Press,

35 Idea Implicit bias can infects people's unconscious assumptions about their abilities and competencies Contact with counter-stereotypical characters reduce the bias

36 Experiment Design Participants Conditions control Students from multiple sections of a college calculus class, which is a prerequisite for all STEM majors A section is either taught by a male or female professor, of matching abilities and experiences The TAs genders are paired up with the professors Measurements Implicit identification with math (IAT: math/humanities + good/bad words) Implicit attitudes towards math (IAT: math/humanities + first/third person pronouns) Expected and Actual grades received

37 Results

38 Effect of Environment Dasgupta, Nilanjana. "Implicit attitudes and beliefs adapt to situations: A decade of research on the malleability of implicit prejudice, stereotypes, and the self-concept." Advances in experimental social psychology. Vol. 47. Academic Press, Works!

39 Effect of Explicit Education Devine, Patricia G., et al. "Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention." Journal of experimental social psychology 48.6 (2012):

40 Idea Experiment procedure People must be aware of their biases. People must be concerned about the consequences of their biases. Take IAT test and get feedback Watch a 45-min training video about Implicit bias as a habit How biases can link to discriminatory behaviors Strategies to reduce bias What IAT is and how it can measure implicit biases IAT tests again at weeks 4 & 8 Explicit measures 4 weeks ahead and at weeks 2 & 6 Self report of strategy-practicing experiences at weeks 2 & 6 Control group Only take the tests

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42 Self Reports I was at a house party one weekend when two tall and strong African Americans walked in. I immediately assumed they must be on the football or some other sports team. I realized that thought was stereotypical and decided that such an assumption should not be made. It is very useful in evaluating one s thoughts... At the party I described above I chose to talk to the guys and get to know about them. It ended up that both were indeed on the football team but I found that there was so much more to them then that, that single fact no longer seemed important I realized how unfair I would have been to be seen and appreciated for only my athletic abilities. I think this technique is best used following a situation, as a post analysis. I don t always remember or think about using the techniques.

43 Self Reports Before spring break I was riding the bus and an older black gentlemen sat in the seat next to me. I was about to sit closer to the wall but then realized that this was a stereotypical response and stayed where I was. This technique is very effective and very easy to implement in daily activities. I had to go get a drug test for my new job. While I was in the clinic a black woman walked up to the desk and the receptionist assumed she was there for a drug test also. I thought that was stereotyping on her part and I was right. The woman was there because she was injured at work. This technique is easy to recognize in a society filled with stereotypes and prejudice

44 Other discoveries None of the explicit variables measured at baseline served as moderators of the effect of the intervention on implicit bias. Reductions in implicit bias that emerged by week 4 following the intervention persisted to week 8. The intervention simultaneously increases self-reported concern about discrimination and prejudice-relevant discrepancies. Works!

45 To sum up with... Video Games Media Environment Explicit Education Exposure Awareness Determination Biases can be changed

46 Implicit Bias Questions?