Implicit Bias and Stereotype Threat (UC Cork)

Implicit Bias and!Stereotype Threat !!!!University College Cork!24 October 2015!!Ian James Kidd!Durham University"

Sources"

‘Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner … activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.’ ! !"

Implicit bias

1. Involuntary.!!2. Introspectively inaccessible.!!3. Ubiquitous.!!4. Stable across ages, sexes, etc.!!5. Cognitively useful.!!6. Malleable.!"

Implicit bias

How do we know about implicit bias?

1. Ubiquity.!!!2. Indirect evidence.!!!3. Implicit Association Tests (IAT)"


Indirect evidence – invited conference speakers!!"

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Implicit Association Tests (IATs)"

1. IB can strongly contrast with genuinely and strongly held convictions, values, and beliefs.!!!2. You can be negatively implicitly biased against a group, even if you are a member of it.!!!3. The many forms of IB, targeting age, sex, ethnicity, etc., often intersect in ‘perfect storm’ groups.!!"

Why are implicit biases so problematic?

1. Perception!!!2. Memory !!!3. Judgment !!!4. Action"

What does implicit bias affect?

An involuntary, unconscious, self-directed ‘sabotaging’ of one’s intellectual or physical performance by members of groups negatively stereotyped as being less good at those tasks.!!!!!!!"

Stereotype threat

1. Really caring about the task at hand.!!!2. If the task is ‘high-stakes’.!!!3. If you are reminded of your membership of the stereotyped group prior to, or during, the task."

What amplifies stereotype threat?

1. Reading lists, syllabi, curricula!!2. Seminar and conference line-ups!!3. CVs, essays, and other assessed documents!!"

Implicit bias and stereotype threat in academic life (1)

4. Letters of reference!!5. Student and peer evaluation!!6. Interpersonal interactions!!7. Hiring"

Implicit bias and stereotype threat in academic life (2)

Implicit bias and stereotype threat in academic life

1. Telling yourself not to be biased.!!!2. Thinking of yourself as an ‘objective’ person.!!!3. Reflecting on times when you were not biased.!!!4. Being tired, hungry, rushed, etc."

What doesn’t work?

1. Anonymising.!!!2. Reflecting on times when you were biased.!!!3. Reflecting on counter-stereotypical exemplars.!!!4. Being rested, fed, and watered.!!"

What does work?

Durham Royal Institute of Philosophy lectures"

What does work?

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Counter-stereotypical exemplars"

What does work?

- Seminar invitation rules: eg “1-for-1”!!- Seminar and syllabi: quotas or ‘better than before’ policies!!- Mentoring systems for students affected by IB and ST"

Other things that might work

Other things that might work

What if I’m still sceptical?

Thanks to …"

""Professor Jennifer Saul"Head of the Department of Philosophy"University of Sheffield"

"•  Kirwan Institute, State of the

Science: Implicit Bias Review 2014"

http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014-implicit-bias.pdf"

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If you want to know more …

"•  Jenny Saul, ‘Implicit Bias, Stereotype Threat, and Women in

Philosophy’"http://tinyurl.com/n5khsrm"

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"•  Project Implicit "

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/""

"•  Implicit Bias and Philosophy"

http://www.biasproject.org""""


"•  Jenny Saul, ‘Why Implicit Bias Matters’, 48mins" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_FqrHs9S-s"""•  Melanie Funchness, ‘Implicit Bias – How It Affects Us and How

We Push Through’, 16mins" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr8G7MtRNlk"""•  Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, Blindspot: Hidden

Biases of Good People (Delacourte, 2013)""


•  ‘Reviewing Applicants: Research on Bias and Assumptions’" wiseli.engr.wisc.edu/docs/BiasBrochure_2ndEd.pdf """•  ‘Reducing Implicit Bias in Hiring’"

http://uvasearchportal.virginia.edu/?q=reducing_implicit_bias"""•  Writing ‘bias-proofed’ letters of recommendation"

http://www.portal.advance.vt.edu/index.php/tags/letters-of-recommendation"

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•  Women's Work"http://women.aap.org.au/papers/about/index.html"

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"•  The UP Directory"

http://www.theupdirectory.com""

"•  Philosophical Spaces"

https://philosophicalspaces.wordpress.com""

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Implicit Bias and Stereotype Threat (UC Cork)

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