Making Implicit Biases Explicit Discussion - Types of Bias Please watch Understanding Unconscious Bias, by the Royal Society and reflect on situations in which you could have (or have already) slowed down decision making, reconsidered reasons for your decisions, or questioned cultural stereotypes.
How did you do on that math problem? 😄
I couldn't figure the math problem out! It illustrates the point in the video perfectly, along with what we learned in the last module about our unconscious biases being stronger or more likely to occur when we are rushed or pressured. I have seen math problems like this before so I knew the answer wasn't the obvious answer. However, because the video moved so quickly, I felt rushed, and my brain was screaming 10p at me so loudly that I couldn't do the actual math to figure out the problem. Even though I knew the answer my brain was giving me was wrong, I still couldn't think well enough to come up with the correct one.
One way I slow down and reconsider is in my media choices. When I am interested in a particular type of book or show or music (I'm currently on a folk horror and metal kick!), instead of reading the first thing that Amazon suggests, I try to seek out books and other media by, for, and about marginalized groups within whatever genre I'm currently obsessed. By not just reading / watching / listening to what the store or platform suggests to me (which is much more likely to be by, for, and about dominant groups), I give myself the opportunity to assess why I'm selecting a piece of media. This also serves to give me more than one story about who belongs in what genre, helping me shed some of that unconscious bias. Which can translate to less bias in decision making - once I see a trans man as the whip smart and super brave sci-fi hero, I may be more likely to hire a trans man to a position in tech. And practicing slowing down decision making in my media choices helps me learn how to do that in other situations in my life and work.
It's an ongoing process for sure and the cultural/media inventory from the last module showed me I haven't been as diligent lately (which also shows me I still have tons of unconscious bias!), so that's something I would like to work on moving forward!