PROJECT #MEETING 14

Name : Pamungkas Shena Wicaksana Putra

St. Number : 22202241115

Part A
Write your summary of the article entitled Learning Implicit Biases from
Fiction (2 passages).
This article explores the idea that fiction, like books and movies, can affect our
unconscious biases-those automatic prejudices that affect how we see and treat different
social groups. Some people believe that reading fiction can make us better people by
reducing these biases through things like understanding and seeing things from other people's
perspectives. But the authors say the same mechanisms in fiction can actually make negative
biases stronger. They explain a process called "evaluative conditioning," a type of implicit
learning that can associate social groups with positive or negative feelings, either reducing or
reinforcing biases. The article suggests that many classic works of literature, while valuable
in other ways, may inadvertently perpetuate biases due to the perspectives and biases of their
creators, challenging the common belief in the positive effects of exposure to literary works
and films.
This article also discusses the challenge of resisting the negative influences of fiction
and questions the idea of abandoning fiction to avoid bias. The authors argue that biases are
part of society and don't just come from reading fiction. They emphasize that biases come
from a variety of sources, such as upbringing, education, and social interactions, making it
unlikely that avoiding fiction alone would lead to a bias-free life. Although the article
suggests that fiction may have a conditional risk of being a bad influence on biases, the
authors do not condemn fiction and acknowledge its broader ethical and aesthetic value. They
emphasize that overcoming bias requires broader social changes beyond the reach of fiction
because implicit biases are deeply rooted in society.

Part B
Show your perspective as the reader of this article. You may combine the
information with specific theories and a critical review of the strengths and
weaknesses of the article's information (10-15 sentences).

As someone reading this article, I think it really makes me think and teaches me a lot
about how fiction might affect our hidden biases. And also makes me question what I read
and not just trust every story to make me a better person. The writers lay out their ideas in a
clear way, using both philosophical and psychological views to talk about how stories can
influence the biases we don't even realize we have. They bring in different theories, like
evaluative conditioning and studies on implicit biases, which helps me understand the topic
better. The article is well-organized and gives a good mix of information from different
angles.
The article is strong because it makes us think about whether stories always teach us
good things. It says that stories might sometimes teach us bad things without us knowing.
The authors want us to be careful readers and not just believe everything in a story is good.
They also talk about how many classic stories might have biases we didn't notice before. I
agree that fiction can be tricky, and we need to be cautious. However, I wish the article also
highlighted the positive aspects of fiction, such as like how it can help us understand others
better. I'm left pondering whether there's a way for fiction to be both enjoyable and make us
more open-minded.