Implicit bias training

Implicit bias training (or unconscious bias training) programs are designed to help individuals become aware of their implicit biases and equip them with tools and strategies to act objectively, limiting the influence of their implicit biases.[1] Some researchers say implicit biases are learned stereotypes that are automatic, seemingly associative,[2] unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal, and can influence behavior.[3]

A critical component of implicit bias training is creating awareness of implicit bias, and some recent evidence has indicated growth in the understanding of implicit biases.[4] Since 1998, the online Implicit-Association Test (IAT) has provided a platform for the general public to assess their implicit biases. Although the IAT measure has come under severe scrutiny regarding scientific reliability and efficacy,[5] it has also sparked a conversation about implicit bias in both popular media and the scientific community.[6]

Many implicit bias training programs have been created in recent years.[7] Facebook designed a webpage to make implicit bias training videos widely available. Google has put about 60,000 employees through a 90-minute implicit bias training program. The United States Department of Justice has trained 28,000 employees on techniques to combat implicit bias.[8]

  1. ^ Fiarman, S. E. (2016). Unconscious bias: When good intentions aren't enough. Educational Leadership, 74(3), 10–15.
  2. ^ Byrd, Nick (2019-02-12). "What we can (and can't) infer about implicit bias from debiasing experiments". Synthese. 198 (2): 1427–1455. doi:10.1007/s11229-019-02128-6. ISSN 0039-7857. S2CID 60441599.
  3. ^ Noon, M. (2018). Pointless diversity training: Unconscious bias, new racism and agency. Work, Employment and Society, 32, 198–209. doi:10.1177/0950017017719841
  4. ^ Hahn, Adam; Gawronski, Bertram (May 2019). "Facing one's implicit biases: From awareness to acknowledgment". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 116 (5): 769–794. doi:10.1037/pspi0000155. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 30359070. S2CID 51896790.
  5. ^ Banks, R. R., & Ford, R. T. (2009). (How) does unconscious bias matter: Law, politics, and racial inequality. Emory Law Journal, 58, 1053–1122.
  6. ^ Hewer, M. (2018). "How scientists are blocking bias in the world at large". APS Observer, 31(2), 21–23.
  7. ^ Smith, R. J. (2015). "Reducing racially disparate policing outcomes: Is implicit bias training the answer". University of Hawai'i Law Review, 37, 295–312.
  8. ^ Sleek, S. (2018). "The bias beneath: Two decades of measuring implicit associations". APS Observer, 31(2), 11–14.