Unconscious Bias
Here are some readings on the topic for your research.
Being Conscious about the Unconscious
Are these unconscious biases hardwired into our brains as an evolutionary response, or do they emerge from assimilating information that we see around us?
Implicit Bias
Thoughts and feelings are “implicit” if we are unaware of them or mistaken about their nature. We have a bias when, rather than being neutral, we have a preference for (or aversion to) a person or group of people. Thus, we use the term “implicit bias” to describe when we have attitudes towards people or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge. A fairly commonplace example of this is seen in studies that show that white people will frequently associate criminality with black people without even realizing they’re doing it.
What is Cognitive Bias
The tendency of us as humans to act in ways that are prompted by a range of assumptions and biases that we are not aware of. This can include decisions or actions that we are not consciously aware of, as well as hidden influences on decisions and actions that we believe are rational and based on objective un-biased evidence and experience. Unconscious bias can be present in organizations and groups as well as influencing the behaviors and decisions made by individuals.
The bias that causes Catastrophe
The outcome bias erodes your sense of risk and makes you blind to error, explaining everything from fatal plane crashes to the Columbia crash and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
