The Neuroscience of Implicit Bias Background: At any given moment, our brains receive 11 million bits of information. Consciously, our brains can only process 40 bits, To manage the remaining information overload, our brains create unconscious mental shortcuts, some of which are called implicit biases, [mpl bias oa” be ‘Today's educators are on the front lines of society's. efforts to promote equality of opportunity. Teachers, 6 G administrators and support staff are an integral ‘component of student learning and academic achievement attempting to provide support for students regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, ‘sexual orientation, religion, primary language, ‘socioeconomic status and beyond. However, studies continue to show that despite these attempts, ‘educator's unconscious beliefs and attitudes can have wide-ranging effects including at times negatively impacting teacher expectations, student performance, teacher-student relationships, and schoo! discipline. As a result, implicit biases can curtail student learning and achievement if not adequately addressed. DID YOU KNOW? Whether or not a teacher “believes in’ their students and expects them to succeed has been shown to affect how well that student does in school particularly among disadvantaged students, In.a 2015 study analyzing interviews. involving 16,000 U.S. teachers, Black and non-Black teachers were asked to predict their 10th-graders’ future educational attainment. Would this student graduate from high ‘school? How about college? When asked about any specific Black student, White teachers were about 30 percent less lily than Black ieachers fo predict he or she would Sada cans colegedostes For ‘White students, the teachers” Predictions, or expectations, were ‘about the same. (Adapted from NEA Today, 2015) 22. Rationale: Our brains consist of extraordinarily complex neurocircuitry that drive a range of unconscious beliefs, behaviors, and reactions. Psychologists and neuroscientists such as Catherine Cottrell at the University of Florida and Joshua Green at Harvard University argue that bias, prejudice and ciscrimination originally evolved as a function of group living. Over the course of our evolutionary history, joining together in groups has allowed humans to gain access to resources necessary while providing protection from others that might do our group harm. As a result, it became evolutionarily advantageous to quickly identify who belongs to[our groupland who does not Overtime, these processes have been embedded within our neurobiology acting in remarkably fast and imperceptible ways oles Till bn ( challerspe thes ? 1“The capacity to discem ‘us’ from ‘them is fundamental in the human brain though this computation takes just a ¢ fraction of a second, it sets the stage for social Categorization, stereotypes, prejudices, intergroup confit DID YOU KNOW? It takes 50 milliseconds to and inequality,” (David Amodio, Associate Professor of Neer acnecte’s pares wen Peychology and Neural Science, New York Univers, (ealiet see thom and only 100 218) milliseconds to note their racial background Implicit biases can influence us in ways that are counter- Productive to both our individual goals as educators as Well as to the educational mission of a schoo! or district By focusing on diversity and equity within school culture ‘and curriculum we are better prepared to help support the ‘academic, social and individual growth of our students. (1 second = 1000 milliseconds) Discovering Your Relationshi It we have a brain, we have bias. first step to mitigating its effects. With Implicit Bias Understanding our relationship with bias is a fundamental Take the Implicit Association Test (IAT): https /implict harvard edu/implicivtakeatest him The IAT is a computer-based task that measures unconscious biases by determining how Quickly we associate different words (e.g. ‘good" and “bad’) with specific groups of people or things (e.g, faces of either African-Americans or European-Americans). In other words, the testis designed to detect the strength of a person's automatic, neurobiological association between things. Ifa person is quicker to associate “bad” with African-American faces ‘compared to European-American faces, for example, this suggests an implicit bias against ‘Atrican-Americans, After you have completed the test, you will be given your score. You can then compare your Score to the thousands of people who have taken the IAT nation-wide and see the state of implicit bias as it exists today. Mitigation & Thought Exercises: The fact tat impli forms of bias occurs automatically doesnt mean we can't find ways of overcoming is negative effects and changing these same processes for the better. With new insights emerging dail from the word's universes labs. and research institutions, today's educators can equip themselves with an awareness and understanding ofthe processes that underie and motivate individual and group-level biases from the classroom to the wider community. When educators develop a stronger understanding oftheir unconscious processes, they can fundamentally teshape their behavior, teacher-student interactions, school policies, // programs, and practices in ways that can disrupt harmful perceptions and patie A- popular acronym used to help develop a stronger understanding ofthese processes i(@PACE. Siow Down Perspective Taking, Ask Yourself, Cultural Intelligence, as well as Exemplars and Expand.Practicing SPACE SLOW DOWN: ‘The moments when we feel tired (e.g., long hours, lack of sleep), stressed (overwhelmed, high work load, company or peer-based pressures, crisis situations), distracted (e.g. multitasking), vulnerable (e.g. emotional, triggered, ted, in the spot light), among other situations all contribute to moments when we default to our automatic, implicit processes. Certain emotional states (anger, fear, disgust) can exacerbate implicit bias judgments of stigmatized ‘group members, even ifthe source of the emotion has nothing to do with the current situation or with the stereotype more broadly (DeSteno et al, 2004; Dasgupta et al., 2009). Relatedly, when the basis fora decision or judgment is vague or ambiguous we will likewise default to more familiar, automatic, and unconscious biases, ‘Slow down, Becoming aware of our triggers and moments when we might fee! vulnerable are an integral part of mitigating implicit bias. Slowing down can be easier said than done but becoming a more thoughtful, considerate and aware individual is fundamental to great leadership When are the moments you might be the most vulnerable to implicit ae Are there certain situations that you personally find more stressful or emotionally triggering than others? When are moments that you might be able to slow down? What are ways that you can gain a greater awareness of your triggers and vulnerabilities? PERSPECTIVE-TAKING: Increasing Our Perspective Perspective-Taking is the active contemplation of another's psychological ‘experiences — thinking and imagining the feelings and viewpoints of others, ne wer vig artSeek out an individual you have never met before. While engaging in a casual Conversation, learn three pieces of information about that individual. Do not tell them this is an assignment /\SK-YOURSELF: Unconsciously, we tend to like people who look like us, think like us and come from ‘backgrounds similar to ours and distike those who do not. This disposition often feeds into moments necessitating a judgment or decision of some kind be it the assignment Of @ grade or disciplinary action. For many, ths process often combines and gives rise to what is known as fundamental atibuion ery, when we assume that others who behave in a certain way do ‘So because of their character (a fixed trait) rather than in response to environmental Whaimstances. In-group bias leads us to assign positive characteristics and motivations to people \who are similar to us while often assigning negative characteristics and motivations to those who are aerated to be different. In order to promote a more diverse and equitable classroom and educational can wenment, stopping to ask ourselves questions that allow us to reflect and (re)consider our choices can act as a powerful tool for change. Ask yourself, * Does this person remind you of yourself? oes this person remind you of anyone else? Is that postive or negative? ‘ze there things about this person that particularly influence your impression? Are they really relevant to the assignmentieventinteraction? What assessments have you already made? Are these grounded in solid information or your Stee ons? What environmenta/cuitural influences might be present that could inform the situation? mM student OTE AE | Tink back oa time when you were engaged in a chalenging inser win» ULTURAL INTELLIGENCE: American classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, As NEA President Dennis Van Roekel has noted, “Educators with the skill, Knowledge, and attitudes to value the Civersity among students will contribute to an educational system designed to serve all Students well” Becoming more aware of cultural dversty, where cultural ferences are not only acknowledged but valued and respected, helps to create a richer academic environment while fostering classrooms where every voice can be heard. Cultura! intelligence (CQ) is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. This means gaining an awareness2) 3) 1) Identifying Your Culture: How does your background, personal histor, family and experience influence your view of the world? If you had to describe your Personal “culture” to someone in one paragraph, what would it say? Learning About Culture: identity one or two ways that you wil learn about a new culture. This an be a book, a movie, or by attending an event. Incorporating Culture: in what ways are differences in culture incorporated within your Classroom? How are differences in ifestyle and experience integrated and heard? What are ways {hat your classroom accommodates individual learners and meets students’ backgrounds and Personal histories? fn carbs of re ae “XEMPLARS & EXPAND: ‘Stereotypes often factor in decision-making, in part, because of how salient and easily: accessible they are in society (Macrae et al., 1995; Mitchell, Nosek, & Bangji, 2003) This reduces the effort and time needed to make decisions. As a result, low-etfort decision makers tend to develop inferences or expectations about a person early on in the Information-gathering process. These expectations and related stereotypes then guide information Processing in biased ways, Identifying exemplars and expanding your circle are effective ways of mitigating bias. Counter-stereotypical exemplars are individuals who contradict widely held stereotypes held either personally or more broadly by society. For example, a counter-stereotypical exemplar in healthcare might include a male nurse. Expanding your circle entails seeking out and making direct contact with counter-stereotypes by increasing your exposure to stigmatized group members that contradict the social stereotype at hand. Expanding our circle can be Gifficut and uncomfortable, however research shows that having positive, meaningful interactions with out-group members is @ powerful form of reducing implicit bias. When possible, introduce yourself to a stranger. Try and lear something about that person if you have the opportunity while shopping or traveling Did you take the IAT? What biases or stereotypes do you hold (that you are aware of)? Seek out an opportunity to volunteer and/or to engage with a stigmatized group. \Wnte down (1) the reason you chose the eventlorganization/opportunity, (2) how you felt upon entering, (3) your experiences during the event and (4) how you felt upon completion This self-study module on implicit bias within the workplace was developed by Mindbridge ‘A nonproft organization using psychology and neuroscience to support human nghts tates