Implicit Bias: The Equal Opportunity Virus is topic on September 14

In part 3 of the Menlo Park Library series on equity, Mary Bacon, Ph.D. will explore how our unconscious associations get in the way of our public embrace of the concept of equity on Tuesday, Sept. 14, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Register online.

How often have we asked ourselves: “Where did that comment come from?” or “Why did I do that?” when we noticed ourselves thinking or behaving in a manner that was inconsistent with what we say we believe? Most of us find ourselves at times making unwarranted assumptions about people from other groups—assumptions that may influence how we evaluate or treat them, without being clear about the source of our judgements or prejudices.

The phenomenon of implicit bias has been researched by social scientists for decades, but we rarely explore the implications of this concept on our daily lives.
We may publicly embrace equity, but we’re vulnerable to the unconscious associations we attribute to certain groups—associations that may result in lower expectations and/or differential treatment of them.

This session will focus on some of the real-world effects on our behavior that implicit biases may have and provide a safe environment for examining disparities that may exist between our beliefs and behaviors.