Exposing our hidden biases curbs their influence, new research suggests

Do you know the implicit biases you have? Here are some ways to find them out.

Image source: Hinterhaus Productions / Getty
  • A study finds that even becoming aware of your own implicit bias can help you overcome it.
  • We all have biases. Some of them are helpful — others not so much.
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Diversity, stereotyping, success: Why being different at work is risky business

Stereotyping isn't about "bad people doing bad things." It's about our subconscious biases, and how they sneak into organizational structures.

Psychologist Valerie Purdie Greenaway is the first African American to be tenured in the sciences at Columbia University, in its entire 263 year history. Despite her celebrated position—and, in fact, perhaps because of it—she still struggles with perception, subtle stereotyping, and the enormous stakes of being one of few women of color in a leadership role. Here, Valerie Purdie Greenaway speaks with diversity and inclusion expert Jennifer Brown about being "the only" in a workplace, whether that is along lines of gender, race, culture, or sexual orientation, and how organizations and individuals can do more to recognize and address their biases. That also means letting go of the idea that stereotyping is a malevolent case of "bad people doing bad things." What does discrimination really look like day to day? Most of it is subconscious, subtle, and is deeply embedded into the structure of organizations, which can have an impact on performance, mentorship, and staff turnover. Do you recognize any of your own behavior in this discussion? This live conversation was part of a recent New York panel on diversity, inclusion, and collaboration at work.

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A.I. will serve humans—but only about 1% of them

AI is leaving human needs and democracy behind in its race to accomplish its current profit-generating goals.

It doesn't have to be this way, but for now it is: AI's primary purpose is to maximize profits. For all of the predictions of its benefits to society, right now, that's just window-dressing—a pie-in-the-sky vision of a world we don't actually inhabit. While some like Elon Musk issue dire warnings against finding ourselves beneath the silicon thumbs of robot overlords, the fact is we're already under threat. As long as AI is dedicated to economic goals and not societal concerns, its tunnel vision is a problem. And as so often seems to be the case these days, the benefits will go to the already wealthy and powerful.

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People Are Aggressively Prejudiced If They Think They Won't Get Caught, Study Finds

A study suggests people act aggressively on their prejudices when they have plausible deniability.

Photo from the Milgram experiment.

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Hiring Managers Cannot Suppress Their Biases in Job Interviews, Study Finds

It’s illegal, yet usually a subconscious act. So how can we scrub bias from the hiring process? 

Interviewers have an inherent bias, whether they know it or not. Getty Images.

Say you go to a job interview and sometime after, the interviewer sends you a friend request on Facebook. Would you accept it? The question gives us pause. It’s a paradox, really. On the one hand, not accepting might mean you have something to hide. On the other, if you accept, you could be evaluated on far more than your CV. Though the unemployment rate just took another dip, it’s still hard to find a good job nowadays, one that can sustain us and lead to a solid future.

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