Implicit Bias: The Best Ways to Combat It
We all understand what explicit biases arethey are the biasesthat we have that we know about. They are conscious and largelycontrollable. Implicit bias, unlike explicit bias, is more complexand refers to our attitudes or stereotypes that we have about aperson or a group but that reside in our subconscious. These biasesaffect the way we act and react, but all in an unconsciousmanner.
Implicit biases can be favorable or unfavorable, and becausethey are ingrained at a subconscious level, they are notautomatically controllable. Many of these biases are often formedat an early age. For example, when you were young, you likelylearned that if you touch something hot, you would be burned andexperience pain so you developed a bias against touching fire.
Implicit associations run deep and impact many aspects of ourlives. They cause us to have attitudes about other people based oncharacteristics such as race, ethnicity, age and appearance.
With such deep roots embedded in the human psyche, how does onecombat these biases in everyday situations such as work or socialengagements? This article explores several common implicit biasesthat impact our daily lives and offers various methods forcombating implicit tendencies.
Some Common Implicit Biases
Implicit bias is an equal opportunity affliction, and if you'rehuman, you havesome sort of implicit biases. Everyonepossesses them, even judges who are avowed with a commitment toimpartiality.
On the positive side, these biases are also malleable and withsome effort and can be gradually unlearned.
But why does our brain cause us to create implicit associations?Studies show it's largely out of necessity. From the time that youwake up, your mind is going in many different directions. Life ishappening at a fast pace, and our brains help us navigate life byunconsciously creating mental shortcuts. Currently, more than 175known common cognitive biases help us get through the day. Andwhile these mental shortcuts can help us, they can lead to implicitbiases.
Let's explore several common biases that are at work everyday.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret and search forinformation or evidence that supports our already existing beliefs.This is a bias that many of us use quite frequently. Essentially,we engage in selective gathering of information to support what wethink or know is true and disregard other sources of informationthat disproves our belief.
One of the best examples emanates from the current state ofpoliticswhat news sources do you listen to or read? Do youlisten/learn from Fox, Sean Hannity, Breitbart, the Drudge Report?Or are you more inclined to pay attention to CNN, Huffington Post,Stephen Colbert or Rachel Maddow? We tend to seek information fromsources that support our existing views, ignoring other sourcesthat are contradictory.
The problem with confirmation bias is that we are so intent onlooking for information to confirm our existing beliefs, we oftendisregard other sources that would permit us to make a moreinformed decision. And as lawyers, we know that information iskeywe learn both sides of the case, the strengths and theweaknesses, so that we can best advocate for our client. But wedon't necessarily do that in other aspects of our lives, insteadusing our gut instinct. If we analyzed other issues in our lives inthe same manner that we analyzed issues in the law, we would becombatting implicit bias along theway.
Ingroup Bias
Ingroup bias is a simple concept and has a powerful effect inour livesit is the tendency to favor the "group" that you're inover that of another group. And we're each in multiplegroupswhites, blacks, males, females, teachers, lawyers,tall/short people, sports teams, your church, your club, yourpolitical party. And the list goes on. Your ingroup basicallyconnects you with others in that same group, and you have anaffinity toward them often feeling that others who are not part ofthe ingroup are inferior.
When you support a sports team, you may feel that the fans oftheir biggest rival are inferior and not very smart. The same thingholds true for religionit's very common for one religion tobelieve that it is superior to another. And we've all seen andexperienced the current heated, swift and entrenched reactionhighlighting the disfavor between Republicans and Democrats. Theseare easy, relatable examples of ingroup bias in action.
Status Quo Bias
Generally, we don't like change; we like to keep the status quo,not because it's healthy, but rather because it's what we know. Anychange from status quo baseline is perceived as a loss. How manytimes have you said, "I'm going to go on a diet" but you neverquite get there. A classic example is staying in a badrelationship, or saying you're going to look for a new job. Thestatus quo bias is closely related to loss aversion, so wesubconsciously choose to stay the course.
These are just several of the implicit biases thatsubconsciously control our actions regularly. Becoming more awareof the cognitive biases that impact one's thought process may makeyou pause just a bit before automatically reacting to a situationwithout analyzing all sides.
Risk Factors and Eliminating Bias
Just like any other inherent disposition, there are a variety offactors that can increase the likelihood of implicit bias. Theseare just a few.
Anger, fear, disgust, exhaustion are some of the emotionalstates that can exacerbate implicit bias, even if the source of thenegative emotion has nothing to do with the current situation,person or group. Distractions, pressures, threats to physicalsafety or crisis situations, likewise, may adversely affectdecision making. When we are under pressure, our thought processbecomes unreliable and we tend to rely on gut instinct or themental shortcuts, which were created and are largely based onimplicit associations. On the other end of the spectrum, happinessand joy can cause implicit associations as well, though studiesreveal that this can be controlled with sufficient motivation to doso.
Social categories, such as race, age or national origin can alsoinfluence biases. Because a person's race, age or national originis often easily identifiable, such factors may automaticallyinfluence decision-making without realization. Notably, however,when we take the time to recognize and/or are confronted with thepotential for prejudice, we often attempt to correct for theautomatic influences that pervade our thought process. Generally,we like to be thought of as fair and reasonable. Thus, when we arepresented with a situation in which it is known that thepossibility for prejudice is heightened, we take the time toanalyze all sides. This point has been proven by various mock jurystudies which measured the impact of all white versus mixed racejuries.
Racially diverse juries were found to process information in away that most courtrooms would likelonger deliberations, greaterfocus on the evidence and greater discussion of missing evidenceand race-related topics. Further, one might think that juror biasagainst racial outgroups would be greater when the case is somehowracially charged. Interestingly, many experiments have found justthe opposite. When race takes front stage in the case, jurorswhowant to be fairrespond by being more careful and thoughtful aboutrace and their own assumptions and thus can set aside theirimplicit associations.
What to do About It
The science on ways to mitigate implicit bias is young andundeveloped. In its simplest form, though, implicit bias operateslike other habits. They can be broken, but it requires effort.Simply by becoming aware of the potential for prejudice helps openour eyes in the search for alternative viewpoints.
One of the most effective ways to combat implicit biases is toexpose yourself to individuals or groups who are not part of youringroup. Interacting in a friendly, positive or productive mannerwith counter-stereotypes is one of the most powerful de-biasingtechniques available. Better understanding and becoming familiarwith people who aren't like you is a pathway to empathy, and whenone can understand another's perspective and emotions, it is easierto see all sides of the situation.
We also know that certain emotional states exacerbate the creepof implicit associations. Thus, eliminating those distractions orpausing during those stressful times to deliberately consider allfacts and sides will prove helpful in repressing the automaticreliance on gut instinct or stereotypes.
Combating and overcoming implicit biases is an inexact science.A little self-awareness, education and thoughtful deliberation,however, will go a long way to eliminating those implicittendencies.
