Implicit and Explicit Bias
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond
Living the Pledge Workshop
How does implicit and explicit bias differ?
Attitudes or
stereotypes
that affect our
understanding,
actions, and
decisions in an
unconscious
manner
Look at explicit bias
“Explicit bias” refers to the attitudes and beliefs we have about a
person or group on a conscious level.
Much of the time, these biases and their expression arise as the
direct result of a perceived threat.
When people feel threatened, they are more likely to draw group
boundaries to distinguish themselves from others.
http://perception.org/research/explicit-bias
Implicit biases are pervasive
Implicit biases are
pervasive
even people with avowed
commitments to impartiality
such as judges
Implicit and explicit biases
Related but distinct
mental constructs
They are not
mutually exclusive
and
may even reinforce
each other
“Hi, I’m
Implicit”
And I’m
Explicit
Do not necessarily align
The implicit
associations we
hold do not
necessarily align
with our declared
beliefs
or even reflect
stances we
would explicitly
endorse
Generally favor our own ingroup
We
generally
tend to hold
implicit
biases that
favor our
own
ingroup
I love my
people! We’re
the best!
Though research
has shown that
we can still hold
implicit biases
against our
ingroup
I wish my
people were
as smart as
others.
Malleable
Implicit biases are malleable.
Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit
associations that we have formed can be gradually
unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.
Characteristics of Implicit Bias Summary
• Pervasive
• Related but distinct from explicit bias
• Do not necessarily align with our beliefs
• Generally favor our ingroup
• Maleable – can be re-learned
Implicit Association Test
PROJECT IMPLICIT
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
• Did you take the Race test?
• How did you do?
• Did the results surprise you?
• Do you think they were an accurate representation of
your attitudes?
• How do you feel about the results?
Dateline: Implicit Association Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Q5FQfXZag
How do
explicit and
implicit
biases
contribute
to systemic
racism?
So how do we change our implicit biases?
• Increase exposure to people who counter the stereotypes, i.e.
build new associations
• Engage in education about implicit bias
• Develop a sense of accountability, that is, “the implicit or explicit
expectation that one may be called on to justify one’s beliefs,
feelings, and actions to others,” can decrease the influence of
bias
• Take the perspective of others
• Engage in deliberative processing
Resources
Material for this session was adapted from research by
Perception Insitutute
http://perception.org/research/explicit-bias/
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu
Project Implicit
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html