The Air We Breathe

Podcast Summary

• Tulsa Shooting: Race, Bias, and Culture: The Terence Crutcher shooting highlights the complex interplay of race, bias, and culture in shaping perceptions and actions, emphasizing the need for open dialogue and understanding to address systemic biases.

  The Terence Crutcher shooting case in Tulsa, Oklahoma, serves as a stark reminder of the complex interplay between race, bias, and culture in shaping our perceptions and actions. The incident, which resulted in an unarmed African-American man's death at the hands of a white police officer, ignited a heated debate about the role of prejudice and fear in law enforcement. While the individuals involved, Betty Shelby and Terrence Crutcher, had their unique perspectives, the larger context of the incident raises important questions about systemic biases and the need for a more nuanced understanding of the societal factors that influence our interactions. The case underscores the importance of recognizing the impact of cultural norms and biases on our behavior and fostering open dialogue and understanding to bridge the divide.

• Understanding Unconscious Biases with the Implicit Association Test: The Implicit Association Test (IAT) reveals our unconscious biases by measuring the associations our brains make, challenging us to recognize and address these hidden influences on our behavior and interactions with others.

  Our individual minds are influenced by the larger societal context around us, and sometimes these influences exist at an unconscious level. Mazarin Banaji, a psychology professor at Harvard, has dedicated her career to studying these hidden biases. She developed the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to expose people's hidden biases by measuring the associations our brains make. The IAT works by asking people to sort items, and the time it takes to complete each task reveals the strength of the mental association between certain concepts. For example, sorting black faces with negative words and white faces with positive words takes longer because our brains have to override the learned association between race and emotion. This test reveals that our unconscious minds can hold biases, even if we don't realize it. Therefore, it's essential to understand the connection between individual minds and society, as our biases can influence our behavior and interactions with others.

• Implicit biases revealed through IAT and video game tests: Unconscious biases, linked to race, exist and can be measured through tests like the IAT and video games, highlighting the need for addressing and reducing them.

  Our brains have been conditioned to associate certain racial groups with positive or negative connotations, which can lead to implicit biases. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a widely used tool to measure these biases, revealing that people generally associate white with good and black with bad faster than the reverse. This association is not a result of the test, but rather a reflection of deeply ingrained cultural biases. Researchers like Mahzarin Banaji and her colleagues have made the IAT readily available online, leading to millions of people discovering their own implicit biases. Another researcher, Joshua Correll, developed a video game to test the response time of players when presented with images of white and black men holding objects, some of which were guns. His findings showed that players reacted faster when the target was black, even when unarmed, indicating the presence of implicit biases. These tests reveal that unconscious biases are pervasive and can be measured, shedding light on the need for continued efforts to address and reduce them.

• Implicit biases and their impact on decision-making: Implicit biases, as measured by tests like the IAT, can influence decision-making but the link to actual behavior is not always clear. More research is needed to understand their real-life implications.

  Implicit biases, as measured by tests like the Implicit Association Test (IAT), can influence decision-making in academic exercises like video games and potentially have real-life consequences. However, the link between test results and actual behavior is not always clear-cut. Some studies suggest that unconscious racial bias on the IAT can predict discriminatory actions, while others find no correlation. Critics argue that if the IAT does not accurately predict individual behavior, it may be an academic exercise with limited practical value. However, new evidence suggests that the IAT may predict behavior at a community level. For instance, a study by psychology professor Eric Heyman found that communities with higher levels of implicit racial bias also had higher rates of police violence against Black people. In conclusion, while the IAT and similar tests can provide valuable insights into implicit biases, it's important to remember that they are just one piece of the puzzle and that more research is needed to fully understand their implications for real-life behavior.

• The correlation between implicit bias in communities and disproportionate police shootings of minorities: Psychologist Eric Heyman's research reveals that communities with implicit biases towards minorities, as measured by the IAT, have a higher likelihood of police shootings of minorities, even if police officers themselves do not take the test.

  Psychologist Eric Heyman discovered a correlation between communities with high levels of implicit bias towards minorities, as measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and communities where police shootings of minorities occur disproportionately. This correlation holds true even though police officers themselves do not take the IAT. Heyman suggests that the test is tapping into the collective mindset of the community, where associations between race and danger are prevalent among community members, potentially influencing police behavior. This finding sheds light on the complex relationship between implicit bias and police shootings, highlighting the importance of addressing community attitudes to reduce disparities.

• Implicit bias's impact on individuals and communities: Implicit bias shapes behaviors and decisions, affecting individuals and communities. Google search data can reveal community attitudes, but addressing systemic issues requires a focus on both individuals and larger social context.

  Implicit bias, much like smog in a community, can influence the behaviors and decisions of individuals and shape the culture as a whole. This idea was discussed in relation to police behavior and hate crimes against certain communities. Seth Stevens Davidowitz, a data scientist, uses Google search data to predict hate crimes and identify areas of potential threat. While individual searches may not necessarily indicate malicious intent, the aggregate data can provide valuable insights into community attitudes and potential threats. Mazarin Banaji emphasizes the importance of recognizing the connection between individual minds and society, and that addressing community-wide issues requires a focus on both the individual and the larger social context. It's not enough to simply blame or target individuals, as systemic issues often require systemic solutions. This perspective was also highlighted during the last presidential election, when the concept of implicit bias was brought up in relation to police shootings.

• Understanding Implicit Bias: Implicit bias is a hidden influence that shapes behavior, requiring ongoing effort to recognize and mitigate it. Police officers, for example, can benefit from self-awareness training and good sleep to reduce bias in decision-making.

  Implicit bias is a pervasive issue that affects individuals, including law enforcement, and is shaped by cultural influences. It's not about harboring overtly racist thoughts, but rather unconscious biases that can impact behavior. Training programs may not offer a quick fix, but recognizing the presence of implicit bias and striving for self-awareness can help prevent it from influencing actions. Police officers, for instance, have been found to exhibit less bias in their decision-making compared to laypeople during simulated scenarios. Factors like sleep may also play a role in an officer's ability to exert cognitive control over their biases. Ultimately, addressing implicit bias requires ongoing effort and a commitment to understanding its impact on our thoughts and actions.

• Sleep deprivation and stress can affect decision making and increase racial bias: Build procedures to give individuals extra time and conscious control when making decisions under pressure to reduce implicit biases.

  Sleep deprivation and stressful situations can compromise cognitive resources, making it more likely for individuals to exhibit racial bias in their decisions. This is particularly relevant in high-pressure environments like police work, where the uncertainty and fear of danger can make it difficult to think objectively. Therefore, rather than relying solely on lectures or training to eliminate unconscious bias, it's essential to build procedures that provide individuals with extra time and opportunities to exercise conscious control when making decisions under pressure. Simple reminders or prompts can help people pause and consider their actions, potentially reducing the impact of implicit biases.

• Impact of implicit biases on large groups: Stronger gender bias in a country negatively affects girls' math performance, highlighting the influence of systemic biases on large groups.

  Implicit biases, though they affect individuals, may have their strongest impact at the community or even national level. A study led by Brian Nosek showed that the stronger the gender bias in a country, the poorer girls performed on a mathematics test, suggesting that systemic biases can influence large groups. Implicit biases in law enforcement or healthcare, for instance, might lead to disparities even among officers or healthcare providers who are people of color. While individuals can work to limit their own biases, addressing the root causes requires collective action. This episode of Hidden Brain also highlighted the role of Caroline Dries, NPR's Senior Director of Field Safety and Security, in ensuring the safety and health of NPR's team during the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests. The ongoing conversation around police violence and racial justice raises questions about the long-term commitment of white American voters to addressing these issues. For more insights, tune in to It's Been a Minute from NPR.