Gertrude J. Fraser
Contact Us
P.O. Box 400308
Booker House
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4308
- Phone:
- 434-924-6865
- Fax:
- 434-982-2920
- Email:
- prov-fa@virginia.edu
Implicit Bias
In a recent article U.Va. Psychology professor Brian Nosek discussed the concept of implicit bias:
One persistent belief that defies evidence is the conviction that all of our behavior comes from conscious intentions. Much of human behavior is governed by mental processes that exist outside of conscious awareness and conscious control….
…[this] suggests a disconcerting conclusion: Our conscious intentions and values may not be directing our behavior as much as we believe they are….Gaining insight into the mental operations that lead behavior astray of values is a precondition for predicting, understanding, and controlling implicit biases….[italics added]
The link between implicit bias and behavior appears to be particularly strong with behaviors that are difficult to control, such as nonverbal behavior. Sometimes, people are more biased than they think they are.
Overview of Implicit Bias (PowerPoint)
Hidden Biases This links to the hidden biases material from the Faculty Search Tutorial Preparatory Materials. There are a number of links to other resources on hidden or implicit bias on this page.
Other implicit bias resources
- Reviewing Applicants: Research on Bias and Assumptions - Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI), University of Wisconsin-Madison (material is relevant to hiring both genders in all disciplines, not just women in science and engineering)
- Tutorials for Change: Gender Scemas and Science Careers - Virginia Valian, Hunter College
- Overview of Concepts from Research: Gender schema, Accumulative advantage, Stereotype threat, Glass ceiling from the AAAS "Introducing Bias Literacy" Workshop