Implicit Bias

In contrast to the explicit bias of structural racism, implicit bias refers to unconscious attitudes, beliefs, or stereotypes that can involuntarily affect our actions, decisions, or thoughts about certain groups (Staats et al., 2017). Everyone has implicit biases that are based on our background, experiences, and media exposure (Staats et al., 2017). Implicit biases may directly oppose your own explicit beliefs about fairness and equity and may even be against your own self interest. Harboring implicit biases does not make you a good or bad person, but acting on biases based on inaccurate associations, information, or stereotypes can create barriers to equity and opportunity that have harmful, real-world effects (Staats et al., 2017). Because they are unconscious, implicit biases may directly oppose your own explicit beliefs about fairness and equity and may even be against your own self interest (Staats et al., 2017). People are most susceptible to implicit biases when they are stressed, fatigued, or experiencing a high cognitive load (e.g. time pressure, distractions, etc.) (Staats et al., 2017).

Despite their unconscious nature, implicit biases affect many aspects of society and play roles in policing, immigration, healthcare, and education (Staats et al., 2017). For example, implicit biases can cause instructors to view Black students as being less academically prepared and less accepted by their peers; instructors may also implicitly associate Black male students with aggression, violence, and criminality, which may lead them to invoke stronger disciplinary measures than they would against White students (Staats et al., 2017). Implicit biases have also been shown to have negative impacts on academic assessments and recommendation letters for Black students (Carbado et al., 2016; Jacoby-Senghor et al., 2016). Implicit biases may also make it more difficult for AHNs to get into college. One study found that when students emailed potential advisors to see if they were a good fit for the program, these potential mentors were more likely to respond positively to White males than to all other groups regardless of their own race, gender, and ethnicity (Kirwan Institute, 2018; Milkman et al., 2014).