The Unconscious Bias Masterclass CMFT Medical Educators Conference 23 rd April 2015 Mags Bradbury Associate Director Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Explicit & Implicit Bias Explicit Bias views and opinions we are consciously aware of, we may not be open and honest but we are aware of them. Implicit Bias views and opinions we may not be aware of. These are often less hidden/controlled as they are triggered when we encounter different people and situations.
Awareness of Explicit & Implicit bias What s your favourite piece of music? If we were to look at your ipodfor most played track what would it be?
THE STROOP TEST Word Set 1 RED GREEN BLUE ORANGE BLUE GREEN YELLOW BLUE WHITE BLUE GREEN YELLOW ORANGE WHITE PINK BROWN RED BLUE YELLOW GREEN PINK YELLOW GREEN BLUE RED
THE STROOP TEST Word Set 2 RED GREEN BLUE YELLOW PINK ORANGE BLUE GREEN BLUE WHITE GREEN YELLOW ORANGE BLUE WHITE BROWN RED BLUE YELLOW GREEN PINK YELLOW GREEN BLUE RED
Cognitive processing
Cognitive Bias Count the number of passes made by the team in white
Cognitive Bias
Mental Processing Fast, Automatic, Frequent, Emotional, Subconscious Slow, Effortful, Infrequent, Logical, Calculating, Conscious
Word Association Exercise
Implicit Bias Influenced by: Information processing short cuts intuition/common sense based on what we think we know Emotional factors own personal experience Social influences Debate around awareness (Unconscious v Implicit)
Our subconscious influences the way we make sense of the world around us
Types of Implicit/Cognitive Bias Stereotypes Affinity Bias favour others whom we share certain characteristics (mini-me syndrome) Self fulfilling prophecy confirm hidden bias Unconscious Organisations the way we do things around here
Stereotypes
NB The language used is from an American study in 2002 and uses terminology (retarded ) that is not acceptable in the UK Stereotypes
Affinity Bias/ Mini Me Frankly, Dinsdale we like the look of you.
Self Fulfilling Prophecy Case Study: Teachers were told arbitrarily that random students were "going to blossom. Those random students actually ended the year with significantly greater improvements.
Unconscious Organisation
Bias within the NHS What examples of bias are you aware of people acting on in the NHS? What impact do these biases have? What can you do to reduce the impact of these biases? Where are the opportunities for bias in Medical Education? Test yourself: Harvard University Implicit Association Test https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/takeatest.html
Common Opportunities for Bias Selection Panels Recruitment application and interview Appraisal & Promotion Project Allocation Invites for speakers Research the researcher and the field of people in the study Stressful situations makes it worse word association game/strooptest
Recruitment by Ethnicity 2013/14 Ethnicity Applied Shortlisted Offered White British 57% 65% 70% BME 42% 33% 25% Not Known 1% 2% 5% 2012/13 Ethnicity Applied Shortlisted Offered White British 57% 67% 69% BME 41% 31% 25% Not Known 2% 2% 6% 2011/12 Ethnicity Applied Shortlisted Offered White British 56% 67% 68% BME 40% 30% 25% Not Known 4% 3% 7% Trends At 25%, BME appointments in 2013/14 stayed the same as in 2012/13. The drop from applications to offered in 2013/14 for BME applicants was almost the same as in 2012/13. Over the last three years, the gap from shortlisted to offered has stayed almost the same for both White British and BME applicants.
Recruitment - Gender 2013/14 Gender Applied Shortlisted Offered Female 73% 77% 78% Male 27% 22% 18% Not known 0% 1% 4% 2012/13 Gender Applied Shortlisted Offered Female 73% 78% 76% Male 26% 21% 19% Not known 1% 1% 5% 2011/12 Gender Applied Shortlisted Offered Female 72% 76% 73% Male 27% 22% 21% Not known 1% 2% 6% Trends The percentage of male applicants who were offered jobs dropped in comparison to their applications percentage. However the drop from shortlisted to offered is very small. Over the last three years, the gap from shortlisted to offered has stayed almost the same for male applicants.
Be motivated to control bias Be aware of the potential for bias Overriding Unconscious Bias Take the time to consider individual characteristics and avoid stereotyped evaluations Monitor know the data and trends Open and transparent decision making Create a culture where people feel comfortable to debate and challenge Inclusive Chairing Role models/images
Summary Implicit bias is distinct from conscious motivation We all have these biases due to cultural exposure They can affect behavior unless we override them They can be changed with education, exposure and processes
We can change it! From 1930 to 1970 (40 years) 14,000 women graduated from Medical school in the US From 1970 to 1980 (10 years) 20,000 women graduated from medical school Impact: Changes in pelvic and breast examinations (Still some way to go while women account for up to 59% of the medical workforce, they account for just 28% of consultants)
What will you do differently?
Any Questions?