Mahzarin Banaji — Mind Bugs: The Science of Ordinary Bias

The second Edmond J. Safra Lab Seminar, which met on September 22nd, 2010, featured a presentation by Professor Mahzarin Banaji, followed by a group discussion of her research. Professor Banaji presented her research on implicit bias, as determined by the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Her findings demonstrate that, despite explicit assertions to the contrary, most of us harbor implicit biases, which may take the form of racism, sexism or classism, among others. Such findings may be extended to the study of institutional corruption, as a way to refine our understanding of what factors may influence implicit vs. explicit bias.

With this in mind, several new studies were proposed which would attempt to examine these issues. One study would examine the variables that influence public trust and confidence in an institution. For example, how does the perceived influence of money affect public trust in an institution? Another study might look at the conditions under which people perceive in-group favoritism as a corrupting influence, such as when an individual is hired into a position largely due to social connections they may have within that institution.

The discussion that followed Professor Banaji's presentation focused on the ways that the IAT could be utilized to map the disparity between what people say and the implicit biases they hold, specifically in relation to this issue of institutional corruption. There were suggestions to make the IAT part of a toolkit that could be used to make individuals more aware of the way that certain influences, particularly money, may shape their biases. However, several participants noted the difficulty of convincing people of their own bias, especially professionals who may believe themselves immune to such influences. When faced with the results of an IAT test indicating the presence of an implicit bias, how do we keep people from becoming defensive, rather than engaging with the results in a productive way? Furthermore, how do we de-bias individuals, once they are aware of their own biases? It was suggested that one way to address this issue might be to ask the individual to focus on the disparity between their own explicit statements and implicit biases, rather than comparing their results to some group or cultural norm.

Going forward, it was agreed that more research is needed to examine the influences that create bias within institutions, with specific emphasis on the role of money in creating bias. It was suggested that the IAT be used as a tool to help identify instances of bias, though further work needs to be done to determine the best methods of reducing bias in individuals, once it has been determined that such bias exists.