Unconscious Bias – do you know when it is happening?

Having the ability to create change is a powerful resource when you are aware of what change needs to be made. What if you were unaware of how thoughts, behaviors, and actions, affect others? Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, affects individuals all over the world, and with small changes, we can create a community safe for all people.

First let’s start the conversation by defining what unconscious bias is, recognizing the signs, and learning how we can practice strategies to help prevent or reduce bias behavior.

According to SimplyPsycology.org; Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest in the community via the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and the healthcare system. The attitudes and beliefs refer to those that occur outside of our conscious awareness and control gainst racial groups, genders, LGBTQ, and other marginalized groups.

  • The term implicit bias was first coined back in 1995 by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, where they argued that social behavior is largely influenced by unconscious associations and judgments (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995).

  • Examples of unconscious bias:

    • Having an automatic preference for one race over another without even being aware of this bias1. 
    • Often we may be prejudiced against our own group, although we tend to favor our in-group with positive stereotypes and disfavor out-groups with negative stereotypes.
    • Gender biases are how we judge men and women based on traditional feminine and masculine assigned traits1.

Potential reasons why unconscious biases occur:

  • Our brains develop a natural tendency to look for patterns and associations to make sense of a very complicated world. Research shows that even before kindergarten, children already use their group membership (e.g., racial group, gender group, age group, etc.) to guide inferences about the psychological and behavioral traits. Forming negative opinions about those outgroups contributes to the development of implicit biases.

  • Another explanation is that the development of these biases is a result of the brain’s tendency to try to simplify the world. Mental shortcuts make it faster and easier for the brain to sort through all of the overwhelming data and stimuli we are met with every day. We take mental shortcuts all the time; such as educated guesses, and using “common sense” are all forms of mental shortcuts.

  • Media, culture, and upbringing can also contribute to the rise of implicit associations that people form about the members of social outgroups. Media has become increasingly accessible, and while that has many benefits, it can also lead to implicit biases.

Here’s how YOU can be a Prevention Partner: According to Making Caring Common- Harvard Graduate School of Education we can practice tips to reduce biases.

Check Your Own Biases:

  • Practice counteracting stereotypes. Exposing our brains to images that contradict stereotypes can decrease our implicit, unconscious biases. View images that do not fit traditional gender stereotypes.

  • Watch your language. Our language sends messages about our expectations based on gender. When we comment on how pretty girls look or how strong boys are, for example, we send messages about our expectations for kids based on their gender. Use gender-neutral words like “they” or say “she or he” when talking about people in the abstract.

  • Check-in with a friend or family member. Because we all are blind to some of our biases, we need feedback. Talk to close friends and family members about your own gender biases and ask them whether you are expressing gender biases that you might be unaware of. Ask kids to hold you accountable, to give you feedback if you are modeling stereotypes or expressing bias. Modeling this openness and being willing to admit bias sends a powerful message to kids about the nature of biases and how they are counteracted. 

Engage Your Kids in Making Your Home a Bias-Free Zone:

  • Mix it up. Proactively start conversations with your kids about how responsibilities get divvied up in your family. Talk about what is fair and balanced, rather than make assumptions about who does what based on gender. Be willing to model behavior that doesn’t fit gender stereotypes and show kids that you can step outside your comfort zone.

  • Hold each other accountable. Periodically ask kids whether they think your family practices are gender-biased in any way. Are there different expectations of females and males in the family? If so, why? When kids do identify biases or inequities at home, brainstorm solutions with them.

  • Tell your story. Share with your kids examples of times when you’ve experienced bias because of your gender. Talk to them about times you’ve felt you’ve been treated unfairly or times that you’ve taken a stand against gender bias and injustice. Sharing your stories opens the door for them to share theirs.

  • Expand their horizons. Provide your kids with books, games, TV shows, movies, art, etc. that show people from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds demonstrating non-traditional gender roles, images that they may not see in mainstream media. Don’t just assume, for example, that boys will like sports and girls will like ballet. Ask girls to imagine themselves as senators, sports team managers, and business leaders, and ask boys to imagine themselves as child care directors and dance choreographers. Facilitate children interacting with mixed-gender groups and developing cross-gender friendships.

We encourage you to read the articles to gain additional knowledge to reduce unconscious biases. In addition, to enroll yourself or your youth into one of the comprehensive programs offered by Touchstone Health Services programs, please visit https://carecoalitionaz.org/available-programs/ for more information.