_Maureen Dunne is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about student life for The Maneater._
Am I sexist? Am I racist? Am I homophobic?
No, of course not. Nobody wants to think of themselves as being biased, and most people would say no to any of those questions.
When my friend emailed me the link to Harvard University’s Project Implicit bias test in high school, I thought I would pass with flying, totally unbiased colors. I knew I never judged anyone based on their gender, color of their skin or sexual orientation. I had a lot of friends all different from myself and was exposed to many different cultures while attending the largest, most diverse high school in Chicago. I knew I wasn’t sexist, racist or homophobic, but I took the quiz anyway.
The Project Implicit initiative is a set of studies from various researchers investigating the degree to which bias against any population is prevalent in those having taken the quizzes. The studies all use an association test in which participants subconsciously group certain demographics with positive or negative descriptors rapid fire. A bias is detected when the participant consistently groups a certain demographic with only positive or only negative descriptors much faster than the opposite descriptor.
This methodology dives deeper than a conscious answer would provide if the participants were asked straight-up if they were biased. There is no time for the participant to think through their groupings.
However, asking myself those questions point blank is explicit, meaning my answers relied solely upon my conscious estimation of myself. They didn’t reach the implicit biases I have lying beneath my explicit answers. An implicit bias is a subconscious association the brain makes and maintains in many situations.
What I didn’t realize is that I, like everyone else, harbor biases below my conscious thoughts and actions. Taking the quiz my friend sent me helped unearth some disturbing biases I was unaware I had.
However, implicit does not mean unchangeable. It is each individual’s responsibility to not only identify his or her own implicit biases, but also to correct them.
Being subconsciously biased towards one sex or race does not mean an individual is sexist or racist, although they have been found to be better predictors of behavior than conscious morals. It simply means that the individual’s surroundings and past experiences have primed them to think a certain way, oftentimes without them being aware of it.
Addressing these hidden biases is necessary to create a more equal society. Being aware of one’s own biases uncovers the underpinnings of discriminatory behavior. Although implicit biases do not always yield explicitly biased behaviors, they have been shown to impact the way in which certain groups are treated in society.
A glaring example of implicit bias’ impact in society is how minority communities are treated by the criminal justice system. Many studies have pointed to police officers’ implicit biases and stereotypes leading to disproportionately frequent and more aggressive police contact with people of color.
After learning of my own implicit biases, my eyes were opened to really paying attention to how I interact with people different than myself on a daily basis. By being aware of my biases, I was able to recognize whenever one crept up on me. By seeing what it was, I was able to shut it down and eventually unlearn it.
In order to undo these identified biases, research has pointed to increased exposure and education to the demographic against which the individual is biased.
College is the largest community many people have ever been. This means the introduction to a variety of new people, cultures and practices. This being said, everyone entering college should participate in a study from Project Implicit to analyze their biases and get a step closer to dismantling them in order to be a more welcoming and understanding member of the campus community.
The second and most important step in correcting these biases is by educating oneself on the demographics against which he or she is biased. One good resource is an MTV-launched program called Look Different, a resource for those trying to dismantle their biases. It provides an option for people to subscribe to a week-long email bias cleanse, where information on often-marginalized communities is sent directly to subscribers’ email once a day.
Everyone has implicit biases, but everyone has the capacity to undo them. For the sake of a more equal society, everyone must take it upon themselves to identify their biases and work to correct them. Starting can be as simple as taking an online quiz and subscribing to a daily email.
