Implicit Bias Case Study

It was a Thursday afternoon, April 12th. Joe and Ted walked into a coffee shop. Joe walked over to the manager and asked if he could use the restroom. He was told only paying customers could use the restroom, so they took a seat at a table. The manager came over and asked if he could help with water or other drinks. They thanked him and said they had water with them and were waiting for a meeting. Less than four minutes from the time Joe and Ted entered the coffee shop, the manager called the police saying ‘‘there are two gentlemen in my cafe that are refusing to make a purchase or leave.’’ Interestingly when the dispatcher put out the call to the police, he said: “We’ve got a disturbance there. A group of males refusing to leave.” The police arrived, and the

What Is Implicit Bias?

Implicit Bias/Implicit Association sometimes called Implicit Social Cognition relates to the views, schemas, attitudes or stereotypes we hold in our unconscious mind. It often refers to our thoughts, views or feelings about others likely based on race, age, appearance, ethnicity, religion, gender or origin. They are subtle but persuasive. Implicit biases are spontaneous, cognitive and concealed. They occur in our life beginning early and developing through direct and indirect experiences and messages. They do not arise from a bad intent and are distinguished from Explicit biases of which we are conscious.

These biases influence our decisions, conduct, and understanding causing us to deduce in a favorable or unfavorable way, which may or may not be accurate. They occur without control or conscious decision and we are unaware they are happening. It is important to understand they are different from biases we might recognize from introspection, but decide they are not recognizable in ourselves. They are different from explicit biases, referring to beliefs and attitudes we may have of which we are conscious or aware. Even so, implicit biases can be discovered through proper