Unconscious Prejudice Research Articles

Impact of In-Service Implicit Bias Training: A Study of Attitudinal Changes and Intention to Apply Anti-Bias Techniques

Research points to implicit bias as one factor driving racial disparities in enforcement activities. Addressing implicit bias is essential to promote equity and integrity in policing and to building trust and legitimacy in communities, according to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. However, investigations into the efficacy of implicit bias training for police are sparse. This study evaluates in-service implicit bias training, examining the impact on trainees’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-professed likelihood of applying antibias strategies to mitigate the effects of implicit bias. We found significant improvements to officers’ knowledge of how implicit bias works and its consequences, an increased attribution to procedural justice, and officers reported being more likely, following the training, to apply strategies to reduce the effects of implicit bias during encounters with public. Results benefit police departments that seek to reduce unconscious prejudice, ensure impartiality and equity, and develop better relations with minority communities.

UNMASKING THE IMPACT: ANALYZING THE FACELESS AND NAMELESS APPROACH IN MODERNIZED PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE RECRUITMENT

The influence of the Faceless and Nameless Approach (FNA) on the recruiting process of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is investigated in this study. It seeks to ascertain how FNA lessens nepotism, prejudice, and favoritism; comprehend applicants viewpoints on openness, equity, and communication; measure public perceptions; and assess FNAs long-term sustainability in light of changing recruitment and law enforcement procedures in the Philippines. Through the use of a qualitative methodology and in-depth interviews with candidates, police officers, and members of the public, the research explores subjective experiences. Results show that FNA greatly reduces name- and personal-based prejudices and promotes an impartial, open selection process based on qualifications and merit. Fairness and equity are promoted by FNA, even while unconscious prejudices are not eliminated. Ongoing initiatives including training, open communication, assessments, and a dedication to equity are advised in order to maintain efficacy. To sum up, FNA represents a critical advancement in modernizing recruitment and fostering public confidence in organizations such as the PNP. It maintains the ideals of fairness and impartiality while striking a balance between anonymity and transparency, signaling a major advancement in hiring practices. KEYWORDS: Faceless and Nameless Approach, Philippine National Police, Recruitment Process, Impact Analysis, Modernization

Prejudiced against the Machine? Implicit Associations and the Transience of Algorithm Aversion

Algorithm aversion is an important and persistent issue that prevents harvesting the benefits of advancements in artificial intelligence. The literature thus far has provided explanations that primarily focus on conscious reflective processes. Here, we supplement this view by taking an unconscious perspective that can be highly informative. Building on theories of implicit prejudice, in a preregistered study, we suggest that people develop an implicit bias (i.e., prejudice) against artificial intelligence (AI) systems, as a different and threatening “species,” the behavior of which is unknown. Like in other contexts of prejudice, we expected people to be guided by this implicit bias but try to override it. This leads to some willingness to rely on algorithmic advice (appreciation), which is reduced as a function of people’s implicit prejudice against the machine. Next, building on the somatic marker hypothesis and the accessibility-diagnosticity perspective, we provide an explanation as to why aversion is ephemeral. As people learn about the performance of an algorithm, they depend less on primal implicit biases when deciding whether to rely on the AI’s advice. Two studies (n1 = 675, n2 = 317) that use the implicit association test consistently support this view. Two additional studies (n3 = 255, n4 = 332) rule out alternative explanations and provide stronger support for our assertions. The findings ultimately suggest that moving the needle between aversion and appreciation depends initially on one’s general unconscious bias against AI because there is insufficient information to override it. They further suggest that in later use stages, this shift depends on accessibility to diagnostic information about the AI’s performance, which reduces the weight given to unconscious prejudice.

C-Suite Bias, Firm Characteristics, and Capital Structure Decisions of Quoted Industrial Firms in Nigeria

Most people exaggerate their own skills and accomplishments, which can have disastrous results. The C-suite has a tremendous impact on business choices, as decisions made in the workplace can be skewed by unconscious prejudice, and this bias can have negative consequences. Therefore, this study explores C-suite bias, firm characteristics, and capital structure decisions of quoted industrial goods firms in Nigeria. Data from 2002 to 2020 was used in an ex-post-facto research design while pooled OLS was used for analyses. The study found that C-suite tenure had a favourable influence on capital structure, suggesting that the duration during which C-suite executives govern their firms' affairs has a beneficial effect on the capital structure decisions. Therefore, the study advances that corporations should enable C-suite members to serve for a longer period of time; because the longer they remain at the helm of the company's affairs, the better their capital structure decisions.

Analysing New York Times Coverage of Sexual Abuse Over Time Through Natural Language Processing

Sexual abuse is a prevalent issue in modern society, having acquired prominence during the #MeToo movement in the early twenty-first century. Previous studies note that the media, as a major source of information, plays a significant role in reflecting and shaping societal perceptions of sexual abuse incidents. As a result, analyzing language use in media is crucial in forming an understanding of how inherent biases are conveyed in text. This work aims to investigate the media framing of sexual abuse using NLP techniques such as Valence Arousal Dominance (VAD) analysis and analysis of power and agency scores of verbs. This research investigates the implications of media framing of sexual abuse by incorporating computational modelling and sociolinguistic research. This approach can demonstrate how conscious and unconscious prejudices materialize in text, impacting how specific groups—in this research, victims and perpetrators—are portrayed in the media. Our results show that although the increase in coverage surrounding sexual abuse contributed to an increasingly positive view of female victims from the early 20th century—signaled by an increase in power and agency over time—they were still portrayed as having considerably less power and agency than their male perpetrators. Additionally, girl victims were portrayed with consistently less agency than women victims.

How (non)discriminatory are the Institute of Group Analysis and group analysis? An institutional ethnography study

The current political, social and economic landscape in psychotherapy is permeated by neoliberalism and requirements for diversity and equality. Nevertheless, racism occurred in the Institute of Group Analysis (IGA). Using Institutional Ethnography, this study examined whether non-discrimination of clients, students and group analysts is nowadays a lived actuality. Unfortunately, a disjuncture between claims of non-discrimination and lived experiences was identified. Unconscious prejudices, hidden discrimination and neoliberalist affiliations perpetuate white discriminatory practices. Marginalized clients, students and group analysts remain outsiders, even though the PPP Working Group has made some positive changes. I suggested that documents should be revised, contemporary theory be included in diversity seminars and diversity frameworks be researched.

Does Information about Bias Attenuate Selective Exposure? The Effects of Implicit Bias Feedback on the Selection of Outgroup-Rich News

AbstractPeople’s news diets are shaped by a diverse set of selection biases that may be unconscious in nature. This study investigates whether providing individuals with information about such unconscious biases attenuates selective exposure. More specifically, in two selective-exposure experiments among Dutch ingroup members focusing on ethnic (N = 286) and religious (N = 277) minorities, we expose individuals to their unconscious prejudices as measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT) before documenting their news-selection patterns. Findings indicate that the effectiveness of this awareness-inducing strategy depends upon existing levels of implicit and explicit prejudice and overly expressed acceptance of the IAT scores. This implies that raising awareness of implicit prejudice works as an effective strategy for fighting biased news selection for some, but may backfire for others, and should therefore only be implemented with caution and attention for explicit considerations.

Paving the Way for a Gender Diverse Future: Small and Mid-size Corporates

Understanding and accepting gender bias especially at the workplace is crucial to ensure more participation not only of women but also men in diversified roles irrespective of their genders. This will bridge the gap between talent and opportunities, increase productivity, widen the talent pool and encourage personal and professional growth. Gender equality is not a women issue but a human issue that affects everyone. The women were more susceptible to the pandemic-induced challenges due to already existing gender and economical inequalities. Most of them were negatively hit and their financial, social and financial status became vulnerable due to loss of livelihood, family condition and mental and physical health challenges. The Maternity Act is undoubtedly a great step towards empowering women but more needs to be done to make the ecosystem more conducive for their overall well-being. Flexible workplace policies, more benefits and special provisions will be instrumental to ease the burden on them. The need is not only to draft favourable work policies but also to make key stakeholders aware of the unconscious biases and prejudices that exist. The target of equitable development can only be achieved through a sensible, collaborative, and responsible approach.

Microaggression and Implicit Bias.

Microaggression is an unconscious statement or action regarded as discrimination against a marginalized community. Microaggression coupled with implicit bias (unconscious prejudice in favor or against one person or group) can be psychologically damaging to the targeted community. The difficulty with microaggressions and implicit biases is that they are subjective and unconscious, and the offender may not view them as damaging. Microaggressions and implicit biases can affect both the patient and the physician. Whether it is the patient that is the victim of these phenomena or the physician, the goal of quality patient care is adversely affected. When patients are victims, bias can also lead to systematic dismissal of symptoms, inferior medical services, and less aggressive preventive care. Physicians who are victims of such phenomena may deal with the repeated trauma of receiving microaggressions and biases from patients and/or colleagues which may cause mental distress and ultimately functional impairment affecting work performance. In either case, repeated direct and indirect exposure of microaggressions and biases through encounters within and outside the workforce are cumulative leading to lasting internalized damage. Awareness that implicit biases and microaggressions exist and recognition that these phenomena are problematic are the first steps toward fostering a more equitable and inclusive culture. As a society and especially as health care workers, we must become increasingly culturally aware and sensitive of all communities for the ultimate good of patient care.

Measuring Explicit Prejudice and Transphobia in Nursing Students and Professionals.

Trans* people frequently report attitudes of prejudice/transphobia in health professionals. Conversely, health professionals indicate the lack of adequate training to care for these people and its impact on the quality of care provided. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the explicit prejudices/transphobia of health students and professionals and compare them with the general population in Tenerife. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with the Genderism and Transphobia Scale (GTS) and the Negative Attitude towards Trans* people Scale (EANT) with a total of 602 participants. Results: We found a low mean level of explicit prejudice/transphobia, with little/no differences between occupation groups. Explicit transphobia was correlated with being a man, less educated, and heterosexual, and not personally knowing a trans* person. Men and women were less transphobic about trans* people whose identities coincided with their own. Conclusion: All participants showed a low mean level of explicit transphobia. This result is not incompatible with unconscious prejudice, which may translate to discriminatory behaviors. Interventions to change negative attitudes are still needed, since even a small percentage of transphobic health professionals could exert a considerable negative impact on health care. In professionals without transphobic attitudes, the barriers identified by trans* people might be a problem due to the lack of specific training.

Aspetti della transessualità. Dalla consultazione alla costruzione della relazione analitica

Il DSM-5 e l'ICD-11 hanno non solo sostituito il termine transessualità/transessualismo con altre parole, ma anche derubricato questa problematica dal contesto patologico in cui era stata inserita nelle precedenti edizioni. Tale revisione può essere considerata uno stimolo importante nel guardare con occhi diversi il fenomeno trans. L'articolo segue questa linea, proponendo che anche nella terapia psicoanalitica si debba affrontare e intervenire in modo diverso, ossia non agendo sul paziente per ricondurlo sulla retta via della cosiddetta normalità, per quanto riguarda sia l'identità di genere che l'orientamento sessuale. Al contrario si tratta di offrire a una persona sofferente la possibilità di incontrare un curante libero dai pregiudizi più o meno consapevoli che la cultura, l'educazione e la formazione professionale hanno depositato in lui.

Mark making or making a mark? Perversion and sublimation in the work of Estela Welldon, Martin Frishman, and Aubrey Beardsley

This short article explores the relationship between sexual perversion, as defined by Estela Welldon and illustrated by the late architect and author, Martin Frishman, and the work of the nineteenth-century artist, Aubrey Beardsley. It primarily argues that in both the acting out of sexual perversion and the creation of illustrations considered perverse, there is a shared desire to transform the experience of shame into the experience of fame. In the perpetrating of a perverse sexual offence, the assault can be regarded as an uncontrollable compelling urge for immediate action. Despite knowing this action is wrong, the offender cannot resist the impulse. The action of the assault offers immediate relief from unbearable anxiety and ultimately transfigures shame, however briefly, into fame. In the creation of sexualised and scandalous drawings, it is argued that the feeling of shame is sublimated, and the desire for fame is achieved without the destructive and perverse use of violence. It contemplates how Beardsley’s provocative drawings, in particular his illustrations for Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, may have influenced the aesthetic of Frishman’s images explaining perversion as a manic defence against depression. Lastly, it considers the way in which unconscious societal prejudice may lead to confusion between sexual perversion and sexual difference.

Remediating Campus Climate: Implicit Bias Training is Not Enough

A common remedial response to a culture of racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression on college campuses has been to institute mandatory implicit bias training for faculty, staff and students. A critical component of such training is the identification of unconscious prejudices in the minds of individuals that impact behavior. In this paper, I critically examine the rush to rely on implicit bias training as a panacea for institutional culture change. Implicit bias training and the notion of implicit bias it is grounded in is examined and the advantages and limitations of this approach is elaborated. An exclusive focus on implicit bias, it is argued, can protect ignorance rather than correct it. Similar to implicit bias, microaggressions is a concept that has played a role in campus diversity interventions. An examination of microaggression education demonstrates how it corrects for some of the pitfalls of relying on the concept of implicit bias to improve campus climate. The ambiguity that is characteristic of microaggressions, however, hints at the need to explore the type of “unknowing” that both implicit bias education and microaggression education attempt to remedy. Building on the recent scholarship around the idea of epistemic injustice, crucial insights can be gleaned about the significance of shifting the focus from lack of knowledge to a willful resistance to know. In the final section, some implications for improving campus climate are drawn out.

I Love You, and You, and You Too

Various types of consensual nonmonogamy, such as polyamory and swinging, have been gaining in popular practice and academic interest. At the same time, monogamy has become an increasingly fluid and self-defined state. As a result, a complex and unfamiliar range of relationship agreements can present in relationship therapy. For such work, transactional analysis has offered a limited theoretical framework, which leaves it with an unexamined normative bias toward monogamy and ignorance about consensual nonmonogamy. This leads to the risk of unconscious prejudice, unethical practice, and ineffective treatment. To address these potential problems, the forms of consensual nonmonogamy are described along with some implications for clinical practice, illustrated by a case vignette, and reflections on the impact of these issues for transactional analysis relationship therapists.

Leaky Pipeline Myths: In Search of Gender Effects on the Job Market and Early Career Publishing in Philosophy.

That philosophy is an outlier in the humanities when it comes to the underrepresentation of women has been the occasion for much discussion about possible effects of subtle forms of prejudice, including implicit bias and stereotype threat. While these ideas have become familiar to the philosophical community, there has only recently been a surge of interest in acquiring field-specific data. This paper adds to quantitative findings bearing on hypotheses about the effects of unconscious prejudice on two important stages along career pathways: tenure-track hiring and early career publishing.

Our racist heart?: an exploration of unconscious prejudice in everyday life

Few people today would admit to being a racist, or to making assumptions about individuals based on their skin colour, or on their gender or social class. In this book, leading psychologist Geoffrey Beattie asks if prejudice, more subtle than before, is still a major part of our everyday lives. Beattie suggests that implicit biases based around race are not just found in small sections of our society, but that they also exist in the psyches of even the most liberal, educated and fair-minded of us. More importantly, the book outlines how these ‘hidden’ attitudes and prejudices can be revealed and measured, and how they in turn predict behaviours in a number of important social situations. Our Racist Heart? takes a fresh look at our racial attitudes, using new technology and experimental approaches to show how unconscious biases influence our everyday actions and thinking. These groundbreaking results are brought to life using the author’s own experiences of class and religious prejudice in Northern Ireland, and are also discussed in relation to the history of race, racism and social psychological theory.

SCIENTIFIC AND RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR: AN INTRODUCTION

Abstract In June 2011, the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS) considered the topic “Doing Good, Doing Bad, Doing Nothing: Scientific and Religious Perspectives on Human Behavior.” Plenary speakers discussed evolutionary, biological, and neurological roots of bad and good behavior (Melvin Konner); unconscious prejudice (Mahzarin Banaji); cultural production of evil and how hope arises in suffering (Cheryl Kirk‐Duggan); causes and consequences—neurological and social—of developmental trauma (Laurie Pearlman); social conditions for genocide and mass violence and responses that enable healing and prevent further violence (Ervin Staub); practices for conflict transformation, reconciliation, and peace building (Robert and Alice Evans); and from Eastern religions diagnoses of and prescriptions for overcoming central obstacles to fullness of life (Barbara Jamestone). The papers published here by William Shoemaker, Ervin Staub, and Karl Peters carry forward these evolutionary, neurological, social, and religious analyses and offer ways to become more active in diminishing harmful and nonresponsive behaviors and in enhancing human good.

“The Scarlet Letter". An Aporetics of Reading and Judgment

Divided between the identification with Hester Prynne and the dramatization of his role as juror forced to be inscribed in the interpretive community inside the text, the reader of The Scarlet Letter finds himself in a position that undermines both reading and judgment. By making the reader assume a point of view that contrasts with his own sympathy for Hester, the rhetorical strategy of this novel carries him to recognize, at the end of the reading, how his judgment relies on unconscious prejudices. Bound to judge, the reader is also bound to judge himself in judging and to reconsider the intrinsic blindness that allows him his own insight. Reading (read: judgment) turns into a reflexive activity that deconstructs reader’s rights to read (to judge, of course).

Beyond Bigotry

Researchers have demonstrated that unconscious prejudices around characteristics such as race, gender, and class are common, even among people who avow themselves unbiased. The authors present a method for teaching about implicit racial bias using online Implicit Association Tests. The authors do not claim that their method rids students of biases. Instead, the authors show that this approach helps students recognize that they and many other people may hold implicit biases that can affect perceptions and actions and realize that prejudice is not reducible to overt bigotry. The authors also show that the exercise helped some students recognize that talking about race and challenging unconscious associations are better methods of combating prejudice than simply pretending not to notice race. Qualitative and quantitative data reveal that the approach described here was effective in building students’ understanding of unconscious prejudice.

Regulating the Social Pollution of Systemic Discrimination Caused by Implicit Bias

Incidents of discrimination due to implicit bias, or an unconscious prejudice in favor of or against certain groups, are extremely difficult to challenge in court because plaintiffs alleging discrimination in violation of the Equal Protection Clause must prove that the discrimination was purposeful. Since our legal system often fails to provide relief where implicit bias has caused systemic discrimination, advocates for equity and inclusion should explore preventative measures that guard against the harms of this kind of systemic discrimination. This Comment argues that a new term “social pollution” should be used to properly classify systemic discrimination caused by implicit bias as a problem that should be regulated. First, this Comment discusses the pervasiveness of implicit bias. Then it discusses the Intent Doctrine in equal protection cases and explores reform proposals that ineffectively attempt to address the difficulty of proving implicit discrimination in Title VII disparatetreatment cases. Finally, this Comment uses environmental pollution to introduce the concept of social pollution and explores prospects for using environmental statutes as models for regulatory reform proposals that address the social pollution of systemic discrimination caused by implicit bias.