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James Kriz

Ms. Basile

English 9

23 February 2018

Implicit Bias Synthesis Paragraphs

The problem with implicit bias is that it creates gaps between people and results in

common stereotypes that people can not even tell they are using. Linh Ta writes, “Everyone is

biased. Our brains create uncontrolled associations known as implicit bias that subconsciously

affect our actions, understanding and decisions.” (Linh Ta) Implicit bias stems from the reflex

the human brain has to put the things it sees in the world around it into categories. (Linh Ta)

Implicit bias is such a big issue because it can lead to making assumptions about a group of

people. As explained by Jenée Desmond Harris, “That's why implicit racial bias has been called

"the new diversity paradigm — one that recognizes the role that bias plays in the day-to-day

functioning of all human beings." Here's what you need to know about how it works, how it

permeates American life from education to health to policing, and why ... it can be even more

insidious than the kinds of racism that are most familiar to us.” (Jenée Desmond-Harris) Implicit

bias can have many different effects on the decisions people make, which can lead them to have

a preference for groups that they identify with. (Annie Murphy Paul) Annie Murphy Paul reports

that, "Psychologists once believed that only bigoted people used stereotypes. Now the study of

unconscious bias is revealing the unsettling truth: We all use stereotypes, all the time, without

knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us." (Annie Murphy Paul) In

conclusion, implicit bias is one of the most challenging and complex problems facing society
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today because it is a problem that people can’t even tell they have, and it can affect many of their

everyday decisions.

The good news is that there are two main solutions that can help people eliminate their

implicit bias. The first solution for people is educating themselves about implicit bias and how

to prevent it. (Jenée Desmond-Harris) Author Jenée Desmond-Harris writes, "The first step in

understanding how implicit racial bias works is to understand the general concept of implicit

bias, which can shape the way we think about lots of different qualities: age, gender, nationality,

even height." (Jenée Desmond-Harris) People can also teach themselves to identify when they

are using implicit bias, which can trigger a reflex that makes people stop and think in the future

before they use implicit bias. (Alice Murphy Paul) Psychologist Margo Monteith explains how

this solution might work, "Suppose you're at a party and someone tells a racist joke--and you

laugh," she says. "Then you realize that you shouldn't have laughed at the joke. You feel guilty

and become focused on your thought processes. Also, all sorts of cues become associated with

laughing at the racist joke: the person who told the joke, the act of telling jokes, being at a party,

drinking." The next time you encounter these cues, "a warning signal of sorts should go

off--'wait, didn't you mess up in this situation before?'--and your responses will be slowed and

executed with greater restraint." (Alice Murphey Paul) Education about implicit bias is also an

important step in understanding how it works and what can be done to prevent it. Classes are the

most important for people who make decisions everyday that affect the lives of others. (Linh Ta)

The Des Moines Police Department is a good example of a group trying to identify and eliminate

their implicit bias. Classes were offered to help officers understand their implicit bias and how

to try to eliminate it. Linh Ta explains how their effort is working, "The two-hour classes were
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taught by Scott Law, Drake public safety director, and Brett Niederhauser, assistant director of

public safety at Drake. The classes went from January to February and had about 30 students

each at the Des Moines Police Academy. Attendees took an online assessment to think about

their biases. In an awareness portion, classes saw different images projected on a screen and

were asked to share their immediate perceptions." (Linh Ta) The results have shown an overall

feeling of enlightenment and a greater understanding of implicit bias among those who

participated in the classes. (Linh Ta) People have to try and understand the enemy they are

fighting before they actually try to combat it. There are great examples of people who are trying

to make a difference and educate others about implicit bias. In order for the problem of implicit

bias to be solved, people must understand what they are up against and train themselves to

identify when they use implicit bias so they can prevent themselves from doing it again.
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Works Cited

Desmond-Harris, Jenée. “Implicit Bias Means We’re All Probably at Least a Little Bit Racist.”

Vox, Vox Media, Inc., 15 Aug. 2016,

www.vox.com/2014/12/26/7443979/racism-implicit-racial-bias.

Paul, Annie Murphy. “Where Bias Begins: The Truth About Stereotypes.” ​Psychology Today​.

Sussex Publishers, 01 May 1998. Web. 12 Feb. 2018.

Ta, Linh. “Des Moines Police Know They’re Biased. Here’s How They’re Trying to Mitigate It.”

Des Moines Register​, 13 Aug. 2017,

www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2017/08/13/des-moines-police

-know-they’re-biased -heres-how-theyre-trying-mitigate-it/311895001