We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it? | Dushaw Hockett | TEDxMidAtlanticSalon

Summary

The speaker argues that current approaches to racial bias and difference are inadequate, emphasizing the importance of addressing implicit bias. Implicit biases are subconscious, often contradict conscious beliefs, and are triggered by automatic associations. Focusing on implicit bias offers a more expansive diagnosis and treatment of racial issues, can predict and prevent discriminatory behavior, and helps reduce shame associated with bias discussions. The speaker concludes by advocating for personal and societal change to align actions with egalitarian beliefs.

Takeaways

• 📚 The current approach to racial bias and difference in the country is seen as inadequate and incomplete.
• 🧠 Implicit bias is a significant concept, recognized by influential figures like Oprah Winfrey and Malcolm Gladwell, and is a focus for addressing racial issues.
• 🔍 Implicit bias operates subconsciously, making it difficult to detect through self-reflection alone.
• 🤔 Implicit biases can contradict conscious beliefs, leading to actions that may not align with one's stated values.
• 🔑 Implicit biases are triggered by automatic associations between people, ideas, and stereotypes, influencing behavior without conscious awareness.
• 💡 The speaker suggests an exercise to demonstrate the power of automatic associations and their impact on perception and behavior.
• 🌟 Focusing on implicit bias provides a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges related to racial and other forms of bias.
• ⚠️ Implicit bias is both predictive of discriminatory behavior and can be addressed preventively through emerging strategies.
• 🤝 An implicit bias approach can reduce shame associated with discussions of bias, encouraging more people to engage in self-reflection and societal change.
• 👶 Every individual benefits from having someone who is 'irrationally crazy' about them, emphasizing the need for personal and societal change to foster such connections.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the script?

The main argument is that the current approach to addressing racial bias and other lines of difference is inadequate and incomplete, and that implicit bias must be considered to make significant progress.

What is implicit bias according to the script?

Implicit bias is a preference or prejudice against a person or group that operates at the subconscious level, outside of conscious awareness, and often contradicts conscious beliefs.

What are the three characteristics of implicit bias mentioned in the script?

The three characteristics are: 1) They operate at the subconscious level, 2) They often run contrary to conscious beliefs, and 3) They are triggered through rapid and automatic mental associations.

Why is addressing implicit bias important for societal change?

Addressing implicit bias is important because it provides a more expansive diagnosis of societal challenges, offers predictive and preventive measures, and helps reduce the shame associated with discussing bias.

How can implicit biases be identified according to the script?

Implicit biases can be identified through tools like the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which can serve as a predictor of discriminatory behavior.

What is the relationship between implicit bias and conscious beliefs as discussed in the script?

The relationship is that implicit biases can exist in contradiction to a person's conscious beliefs, meaning someone can consciously hold egalitarian views while still harboring biases at an unconscious level.

What is the proposed solution to reduce the impact of implicit bias?

The proposed solution includes internal motivation and habitual practice to reduce vulnerability to acting on biases, aligning actions with consciously held beliefs, and adopting a prevention approach rather than a reactive one.

How does the script suggest we should approach the issue of bias to foster change?

The script suggests focusing on how to align actions and behaviors with consciously held egalitarian beliefs, rather than labeling individuals as racist or sexist.

What is the significance of the term 'irrationally crazy' used by Urie Bronfenbrenner in the context of the script?

The term signifies the importance of having at least one person in one's life who is deeply and unconditionally supportive, which is essential for fostering the internal change necessary to make external societal change possible.

How does the script connect the concept of implicit bias to everyday experiences?

The script connects implicit bias to everyday experiences by using the example of mental associations with words like 'government', 'corporate', and 'subsidized housing', which can shape perceptions and behaviors unconsciously.

What is the role of self-reflection and introspection in understanding and addressing implicit bias?

Self-reflection and introspection are limited in understanding and addressing implicit bias because these biases operate outside of conscious awareness and cannot be accessed through introspection alone.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Inadequacy of Addressing Racial Bias

The speaker begins by asserting that current approaches to discussing and handling racial bias and other forms of difference are insufficient. They emphasize the importance of understanding 'implicit bias', a concept widely recognized by influential figures like Oprah Winfrey and Malcolm Gladwell. Implicit bias is defined as subconscious preferences or prejudices that operate outside conscious awareness, often contradicting one's stated beliefs. The speaker illustrates this with examples from educators and law enforcement, showing how unconscious biases can lead to harmful actions despite conscious commitments to positive values. They also introduce an exercise to demonstrate the power of automatic associations, which are linked to attitudes and stereotypes that can shape behavior unconsciously.

05:01

🛡️ The Importance of Implicit Bias in Societal Progress

The speaker argues that focusing on implicit bias is crucial for a more comprehensive understanding of societal challenges related to racial and other forms of bias. They cite the work of scholars like Mazarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, who have shown that much of the harm in society stems from implicit bias, not just explicit forms. The speaker points out a disconnect between the diagnosis and treatment of these issues, suggesting that addressing implicit bias could lead to more effective solutions. They also discuss the predictive and preventive nature of implicit bias, noting that it can be measured and potentially reduced through awareness and practice. Lastly, the speaker highlights how focusing on implicit bias can reduce shame associated with discussing bias, shifting the conversation from personal blame to aligning actions with egalitarian beliefs.

10:02

💖 The Power of Unconditional Support in Overcoming Bias

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker reflects on the need for internal and societal change to create an environment where everyone feels supported and valued. They reference child psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner's idea that every child needs at least one adult who is 'irrationally crazy' about them, suggesting that this need extends to all human beings. The speaker posits that such support can only be achieved if individuals undertake the necessary internal work to realign their actions with their beliefs, thereby making external change possible. The speech ends on a note that encourages the audience to consider their role in fostering a supportive and bias-free society.

Keywords

💡Implicit Bias

Implicit bias refers to the unconscious preferences or prejudices that affect a person's understanding, actions, and decisions without their conscious knowledge. In the video, the concept is central to the argument that addressing racial bias and other forms of difference requires acknowledging and confronting these subconscious attitudes. The script uses the term to highlight that biases can operate outside of conscious awareness and can influence behavior contrary to stated beliefs.

💡Racial Bias

Racial bias is a form of prejudice or discrimination based on race. The video discusses racial bias as a significant societal issue that is inadequately addressed, emphasizing the need to understand and tackle both explicit and implicit forms of racial bias to create a more equitable society.

💡Subconscious

The term subconscious in the video refers to the part of the mind that is not in immediate consciousness but can influence behavior and decision-making. Implicit biases are described as operating at the subconscious level, indicating that they are not accessible through conscious thought or introspection.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed and oversimplified ideas or beliefs about a particular type of person or thing. The video mentions stereotypes in the context of implicit biases, explaining that these mental shortcuts can trigger rapid and automatic associations that shape attitudes and behaviors.

💡Discrimination

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. The video script argues that implicit biases can lead to discriminatory behavior, even when individuals consciously hold egalitarian beliefs.

💡Egalitarian Beliefs

Egalitarian beliefs are principles that advocate for equality, especially in political, economic, or social life. The video suggests that many people have egalitarian beliefs at a conscious level, but implicit biases can cause their actions to contradict these beliefs.

💡Project Implicit

Project Implicit is an organization associated with research on implicit biases. The video mentions the project's online Implicit Association Test, which can serve as a predictor of discriminatory behavior, indicating that individuals can assess their own implicit biases.

💡Prevention Approach

A prevention approach in the context of the video refers to strategies aimed at reducing the likelihood of bias influencing behavior before it occurs. The speaker argues for a shift from reactive measures to proactive ones, using the understanding of implicit biases to prevent discriminatory actions.

💡Shame

Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. The video discusses the negative impact of shame in addressing bias, suggesting that it can hinder self-motivation and societal change by creating a sense of hopelessness about one's ability to change.

💡Guilt

Guilt is a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, or mistake. In contrast to shame, the video script suggests that guilt can be a positive motivator for change, as it implies that a mistake has been made but can be corrected.

💡Self-Change Work

Self-change work refers to the personal effort to alter one's attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs. The video emphasizes the importance of individuals engaging in this internal work to align their actions with their consciously held beliefs and to contribute to broader societal change.

Highlights

The current approach to racial bias and difference is inadequate and incomplete.

Implicit bias is a critical concept for understanding race and difference, discussed by influential figures like Oprah Winfrey and Malcolm Gladwell.

Implicit bias operates subconsciously, making it difficult to detect through introspection.

Implicit biases can contradict conscious beliefs and values.

Implicit biases are triggered by automatic associations linked to stereotypes.

A quick exercise demonstrates the power of automatic associations and their impact on perception.

Implicit biases can influence behavior without conscious awareness, affecting interactions like those with authority figures.

Focusing on implicit bias provides a more expansive diagnosis of societal challenges related to difference.

Implicit bias can be predictive of discriminatory behavior and offers preventive strategies.

An implicit bias approach can reduce shame associated with addressing bias, promoting self-motivated change.

The distinction between guilt and shame is crucial for understanding how people respond to their biases.

Implicit bias questions whether actions align with egalitarian beliefs, rather than labeling individuals.

The importance of the internal change work for enabling external societal change.

The need for a prevention approach to bias and difference, rather than a reactive emergency-room response.

The impact of having at least one person in life who is irrationally supportive, as emphasized by Urie Bronfenbrenner.

The call to action for individuals to do the internal work necessary for broader societal change.

Transcripts

I want to make an argument to you I want

to make a case to you and the argument

that I want to make is that the way that

we currently think about talk about and

act on issues of racial bias and other

lines of difference in this country is

woefully inadequate and it's incomplete

the way we think about talk about and

act on issues of racial bias and other

lines of difference in this country is

woefully inadequate and it's incomplete

and in making this case I want to build

on the very robust and compelling

evidence that has been coming out of the

science community for the past ten plus

years that suggests that if we want to

move to a radically different place a

radically better place on issues of race

and difference in this country we have

to pay attention to something called

implicit bias so what is implicit bias

Oprah Winfrey has talked about it

Malcolm Gladwell has written about it

normally we say when Oprah is talking

about it and Malcolm is writing about it

everybody knows about it which isn't

always the case so a bias is a

preference for or a prejudice against a

person or a group of people there are

three characteristics that make a bias

implicit characteristic number one

implicit biases operate at the

subconscious level outside of conscious

awareness we don't know that we have

them and they can't be accessed through

introspection in other words the science

of implicit bias says that none of us

can sit here in this room right now

scratch our heads and wonder out loud do

I have a bias against men against women

against black people against white

people against immigrants and expect to

accurately answer that question because

the nature of an implicit

vices such that we don't know that we

have them characteristic number two

implicit by C's oftentimes run contrary

contrary to our conscious stated beliefs

about who we are as human beings and

what our values are in other words the

science of implicit bias says that you

can be a school administrator and say

that you are deeply committed to

nurturing and building up young people

and yet be the same school administrator

who leads your school and high rates of

suspensions and expulsions of young

people and both of those things would be

true consciously you're deeply committed

to building young people up

unconsciously you're doing harm in the

process

the science of them quizzes by says that

you can be a law enforcement officer

deeply committed to the mantra that

appears on the side of police vehicles

that says what protect and serve and yet

be the same law enforcement officer who

leads your precinct or your district and

high rates of stops and frisks of young

men of color and both of those things

would be true consciously you're deeply

committed to the principles of

protecting and serving

unconsciously your behavior is

inconsistent with that the third

characteristic that makes a bias

implicit is that implicit biases are

triggered through rapid and automatic

meant to associations that we make

between people ideas and objects and

attitudes and stereotypes that we hold

about those people ideas and objects and

so case in point I want to do a quick

exercise around the power of meant to

associations so in a minute I'm gonna

flash a few words on the screen and what

I want to ask you to do is I want you to

quickly reflect on and/or call out the

associations that you make with those

words or that you believe the

aughter society makes with those words

and so this requires a little bit of

call-and-response so government

corporate suburbs subsidized housing so

the science of implicit bias would say

that those associations that you just

made those aren't mere verbal

associations those aren't mere mentor

associations the science says that there

are attitudes and behaviors that we

attach to those associations so imagine

if as part of my introduction I came out

here and I said my name is Dasha I want

to talk with you about something

innovative and I'm here representing

local government I used to work in

corporate America I was born and raised

and subsidized housing but I now live in

the suburbs of Alexandria Virginia

the science would suggests that for many

of you for those who said that your your

automatic mental association with

government is corrupt or your automatic

meant to association with corporate is

greed you would receive me through that

filter oftentimes at the unconscious

level and it would color for you every

single word that comes out of my mouth

so that's how implicit bias works these

rapid and automatic mental associations

that shape and mold behavior every

single day oftentimes in ways that we're

not even aware of oftentimes in ways

that do harm to others so there are

three reasons three reasons why focusing

on implicit bias at this particular

moment in time isn't

important and why I believe that a focus

on implicit bias to help move this

country forward so number one an

implicit bias focus gives us a much more

expansive diagnosis of the challenges

that we face in this country with

respect to difference what do I mean we

know from the work of esteemed scholars

Mazarin banaji and Anthony Greenwald

that a significant amount of the harm

being experienced and transmitted in

this country with respect to racial bias

and other lines of difference we know

that a significant amount of that harm

stems from implicit forms of bias in

addition to explicit forms of bias yet

the majority of the tools that we use

surged rest bias are designed to address

explicit forms not the implicit so in

essence what we have in this country is

a mismatch a disconnect between how we

diagnose challenges around difference in

how we treat them an implicit bias

approach gives us a much more expansive

diagnosis and a much more expansive

toolbox and my belief is that if we get

the diagnosis right we will get the

treatment right if we continue to get

the diagnosis wrong we will get the

treatment number two implicit bias is

both predictive and it's preventive

predictive in the sense that a person

can go to the website for project

implicit take any one of the online

implicit association test and receive a

test result that can serve as a

predictor of discriminatory behavior

it's preventive in a sense that there

are emerging and promising strategies

coming out of the science community that

suggests with internal motivation and

habitual practice we can do things to

reduce our vulnerability to act on our

biases and I believe that that is what

the country needs right now we need a

prevention approach

around issues of bias and difference

versus an emergency-room response right

now we have an emergency-room response

we wait for stuff to happen then we rush

to the emergency room

we need a prevention approach an

implicit bias gives us that lastly in

number three implicit bias where an

implicit bias approach helps to reduce

the shame and the shaming that's

associated with talking about and

addressing issues of bias often

researcher brené Brown draws an

interesting distinction between guilt

and shame

she says guilt says I made a mistake and

I can do something about it shame says I

am a mistake this is who I am

I'm a horrible human being there's

nothing I can do about it I'm gonna

always be this way and what I want to

submit to you is that my belief is that

one of the biggest challenges that we

have in this country and how we address

issues of bias is that we engage in self

shaming and if we're honest sometimes we

intentionally and unintentionally shame

others and my belief is that as long as

we continue to do that human beings

would never feel the motivation that

they need to do the self change work or

the broader societal change work that we

need to do an implicit bias approach

addresses this because it makes the

central question not are you racist or

not racist

are you sexist or not sexist an implicit

bias approach makes the central question

how do we get our actions and behaviors

how do we align our actions and

behaviors with our consciously held

egalitarian beliefs released for those

people who do hold egalitarian beliefs

and my belief is that many people do so

that

why this work is important at this

particular moment in time and in closing

I want to leave you with a quick idea

the late child psychologist Urie

bronfenbrenner once said that every

child needs at least one adult in his or

her life who is irrationally crazy about

him or her raise your hand if you've had

that at any point in your life and so

you know what it feels like my belief is

that not only does every child need that

but every human being needs at least one

of the human being in their life who is

irrationally crazy about him or her and

the only way that we're gonna have that

is if we do the internal change work

that we need to do to make the external

change work possible thank you very much

[Applause]