Implicit Bias & What to do about it
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Implicit Bias
McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin
Test yourself for bias
- Complete at least one implicit associations test at the Project Implicit website
- Implicit Association Test – Social Psychology Network
Read
- Kirwan Institute’s Implicit Bias Review –This site includes the institute’s annual implicit bias reviews from 2013-2017
- How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on Their Teams
- Implicit Bias: General Resources (UNC Health Science Library)
Watch
- A Tale of O: On Being Different – highlights the “cost” of being different in any situation
- Doctors’ Unconscious Bias Affects Quality Of Health Care Services, Research Shows (NPR)
- Verna Meyers’ Ted Talk on How to overcome our biases
- The Invisible Gorilla video – a quick and simple demonstration of selective attention and how we can miss a great deal even when attempting to pay close attention
Tips to talk about bias
- Set ground rules for safe place and assumed intentions ‘Brave, Safe Space’
- Be respectful
- Allow constructive friction (builds understanding)
- Assume the best intention/come from love
- Expect and accept no closure
- Guide to receptive listening
- Speak your truth (no one else’s)
- Be present and engage
- Be curious — not defensive or convincing
- Take your notes
- Varied avenues for input (discussion, chat box, jam board, submitted scenarios)
- Ask questions
- Practice empathy
- Echo/restate
Tips to respond to bias:
- Take appropriate action. Be brave
- Interrupt (prevent hurt/damage)
- Ask questions (Don’t lecture or make statements)
- Seek understanding, clarity
- Don’t correct
- Echo what you heard
- Make clear “that” is absolutely unacceptable
- Provide resources (teaching tolerance), educate
- Support anyone who is advocating, give no outlet/connection for bias, build culture of inclusion
- Build camaraderie around inclusion
- Leverage strategic plans, policies and established procedures for equity for all students
- What do you say to “That’s so gay” and other anti-lgbtq comments?
- Why Pronouns Matter
Self-talk: Set or reset yourself
- I can be uncomfortable to make all students comfortable.
- I want to be inclusive and have much to learn.
- Correction and error will help me get to my goal of inclusivity.
- This is not about me and my intent.
- Am I in a learning posture? Or defending something (what?)?