- By Maeve Callan
- Aug 4, 2016
- Filed in CC3 Consider Arguments, In Class Activity, Inclusion and Bias Awareness, Online Activity
These tests help identify people’s implicit biases, or our automatic preferences and aversions, on a range of issues. Housed at Harvard University, it draws on and contributes to leading social cognition research.
Strengths
Raises awareness about our own, often unrecognized preferences and aversions which can negatively impact our understanding of ourselves, our world, and others
Concerns
Social cognition experts are not experts in everything; for example, they simplistically categorized religions in their efforts to detect bias (but this may better accord with the general populace’s view of religions). In addition, people might feel accused of prejudice, which often elicits a negative reaction. And the more you take such tests, the less it might successfully detect your implicit biases.
Recommendations for use
Student use, either in class or out, with discussion of the ways implicit bias shapes our society and our personal experiences, and of the ways we can lessen the impact of such biases.