Kelli Montgomery YesterdayAug 19 at 10:56pmManage Discussion Entry Implicit bias is the unacknowledged bias we may have. This bias can lead to discriminatory behavior, and we must be mindful of...

Kelli Montgomery

Implicit bias is the unacknowledged bias we may have. This bias can lead to discriminatory behavior, and we must be mindful of implicit bias to help avoid discrimination and prejudice (Bartlett, 2017). Implicit bias can be in the form of prejudice or come in the form of negative behavior. It isn’t always directed towards people. It can also be directed towards groups, concepts, products, and areas (Ungvarsky, 2020).

Some researchers have questioned whether implicit bias influences behavior at all while others believe it has a significant influence. Some researchers believe the IAT (Implicit Association Test) has poor reliability while others believe this test can shed light onto biases, we may not be aware of (Ungvarsky, 2020). I found the tests rather interesting. I chose the Age and Weight IAT. IAT measures associations between two different concepts and evaluations. For example, in the Age IAT it measured youth and old. My results suggested I preferred young people over those who were old. I was surprised at those results, but I am surrounded in my workplace by coworkers who are significantly younger. The other test I chose measured Fat and Thin. Those results suggested I moderately prefer thin people over fat people however I have struggled with weight my entire life and come from a family of all sizes.

The school that I work at is full of diversity in every possible area. It has been a true experience to work with so many different ages, cultures, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, etc. It has been an amazing and influential experience to learn so much about people and not just from the behavioral standpoint. These tests can be eye opening and definitely make you think critically about your own personal feelings and bias. I have not noticed any specific bias from coworkers however we do notice a lot from the population of students we have.

References

Bartlett, T. (2017). Can we really measure implicit bias? Maybe not.Chronicle of Higher Education,63(21), B6-B7

Ungvarsky, J. (2020). Implicit bias.Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Renalta Smith

Gender and culture matter within leadership due to how many people distinguish the two based on their gender and cultural backgrounds regarding beliefs and outer appearance. The social structure perspective addresses how men and women get different results within their leadership roles. Men are seen as having higher standards, and women are seen as being less effective (Ayman, 2010). I have observed implicit bias in my workplace and with my kids. The discrimination within my workplace is placed on the notion that men work better with troubled teen boys than women. In my home with my kids, I noticed yet have corrected that I was not assigning chores to my eight-year-old as I once did with my daughter due to the oh, he is a boy, and boys do not clean mentality that was embedded in me from what I observed as a child.

I was surprised by the results because the results showed thatDuring the Implicit Association Test (IAT) you just completed: Your responses suggested a moderate automatic preference for Black people over White people(Harvard. 2011)..I can see why the results might turn out the way they do in regards to picking items similar to ones own race yet I feel like I'm equal in respect to liking both races. My next test was the age test. I know many people say age is just a number, so I wanted to see if my results matched my thoughts about not seeing a person as old or young but as an individual.

My test revealed that I preferredyoung people over more senior adults. I'm not surprised by the results because young people surround me in my field of work. The results differ from my thoughts, yet maybe I tell myself that I don't see age even though it's clear that I do see age. However, I think society creates a difference in gender and culture at an early age which makes the thought of placing certain races, gender, and cultures on a hierarchy of what's good and evil and the role women and men are supposed to play within families and careers.

Thanks,

Renalta

Resources

Ayman, R., & Korabik, K. (2010). Leadership: Why gender and culture matter. American Psychologist, 65(3), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018806

Harvard. (2011).
Project implicit(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.[Web page]. Retrieved from https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html