A Few Key Characteristics of Implicit Biases

Implicit biases are pervasive. They are often the result of dominant norms and structures that invite us to understand the world and other people in particular ways. Everyone possesses implicit biases, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges.

Implicit and explicit biases are related but distinct mental constructs. They are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other.

The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly endorse.

We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favour our own ingroup, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit biases against our ingroup.

To explore your own biases, you may want to explore this Implicit Bias Association test, or this Unconscious Bias Training Module by the federal government of Canada.

These definitions are an introduction to the concept of implicit bias. Implicit bias is a complex concept used in different ways across fields, and subject to many critiques. To go deeper and read more about some of these critiques, we invite you to read this article by Olivia Goldhill.

Although we all hold biases, it is possible to counter some of their effects by being aware of biases we may hold and slowing down our decision-making processes to make them more deliberate. Drawing on Dr. Kahneman's work, UBC professor Dr. Katherine White explains this by contrasting the two main systems we use for thinking and making decisions:

2 thinking systems 1 fast, unconscious, automatic, error-prone, 1 slow, conscious, effortful, complex, reliable

While System 1 can be very useful to help us navigate everyday decisions, it is more prone to errors and biases. System 2 is more reliable but it requires that we take our time and consider and justify decisions carefully, at every stage.

Being deliberate is unlikely to erase all impacts of biases, especially in cases where norms and structures are difficult to challenge, but it can mitigate some of these impacts, and that's a first step.

To learn more, check out:

Banaji, M. R., & Greenwald, A. G. (2013). Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. New York: Delacorte Press.
Eberhardt, J. L. (2019). Biased: Uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do. New York: Viking.
Kahneman, D. (2013). Thinking, fast and slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.