Understanding and Addressing Unconscious Bias
By: Trevor Mitchell
Bias shows up in our lives every day whether we want it to or not. From implying tone in an email based on the sender to making assessments based on someone’s physical appearance, bias presents itself regularly. Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt says, “Whether you like it or not, if you have a brain, you have bias.” In society, we tend to talk about bias as a bad thing. It’s because we view it through the lens of when it negatively impacts an individual or group. We must be aware of when this occurs to ensure we understand and correct going forward. In reality, having a bias is how our brains naturally work. It doesn’t mean that we have done something intentionally wrong or harmful. It does mean that our experiences have created biases that may cloud and negatively impact our actions toward those around us. By recognizing how this all works, we must consciously work to correct how our brains operate rather than allowing it to be an excuse to hide behind. That is why we must work to understand what bias is, how bias is formed, and how to address it when it does.
What is bias, and how is it formed? Our brains are wired to categorize and classify things based on our understanding and experiences. This process begins from the moment we are born. Various external factors and our continued experiences throughout life shape and create key bits of data that our brain stores for future reference. Bias begins to form through stereotypes. Stereotypes are preconceived, standard, group-shared ideas about the alleged essential nature of a whole category of persons without regard to individual differences. The more we are exposed to these stereotypes, the more they begin to form biases in our brains without us knowing. Our brain uses the information we consume and retains it for future use, consciously or not. When we approach a similar situation later, our brains fill in the gaps based on what we know utilizing confirmation bias. Our brains want to interpret and draw conclusions based on these prior experiences, which may not be accurate. While our brains may be wired this way to create unconscious bias, it doesn’t mean we can’t change.