Ken Boddie

7 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Bias is only practised by ignorant people, right?

Bias is only practised by ignorant people, right?

Percent 0 re ndents wi r

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference
for White People compared to Black People.

Your data suggest a moderate automatic
preference for White people compared to Black
people.

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference
for White people compared to Black people.

Your data suggest little to no automatic preference
between White people and Black people.

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference
for Black people compared to White people.

Your data suggest a moderate automatic
preference for Black people compared to White
people.

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference
for Black people compared to White people.

I am the least biased person I know!  I am non-discriminatory, fair, pure of thought and heart, and well balanced in my judgements - BULLSH_T !!!!! 

My apparent puritanical misconception was last week, when I was much happier with myself, still delusional about my subconscious, and before I was exposed to the Implicit Association Test (IAT).  This eye-opening revelation of my subconscious prejudices and peculiar partialities was introduced, by way of homework, prior to a gathering of myself and my peers (labelled an Inclusive Leadership Workshop), chaired by a consultant from Diversity Partners here in Australia.

The whole concept works on word and picture association and has to be performed quickly, or else the results become invalid. Here are some of the tests available here in Australia, although you can readily obtain a list of tests for your own country:

  • Weight (Fat-Thin IAT).This IAT requires the ability to distinguish faces of people who are obese and people who are thin. It reportedly often reveals an automatic preference, in Australia, for thin people relative to fat people.
  • Skin-tone (Light Skin-Dark Skin IAT).This IAT requires the ability to recognise light and dark-skinned faces. It reportedly often reveals an automatic preference, in Australia, for light-skin relative to dark-skin. 
  • Age (young-old IAT). This IAT requires the ability to distinguish old from young faces. This test often reportedly indicates that people, in Australia, have automatic preference for young over old.  
  • Race (Black-White IAT). This IAT requires the ability to distinguish faces of European and African origin. It indicates that most people, in Australia, have an automatic preference for white over black.
  • Countries ('Australia-United States' IAT). This IAT requires the ability to recognise photos of national leaders and other national icons. The results revealed by this test reportedly provide a new method of appraising nationalism.  
  • Sexuality (Gay-Straight IAT). This IAT requires the ability to distinguish words and symbols representing gay and straight people. It reportedly often reveals an automatic preference, in Australia, for straight people relative to gay people.

So, in order to dip my toe in the water and convince myself that this whole exercise makes sense, I chose to initially participate in the Race IAT. After all, I've lived and worked in a number of countries and continents over several decades, I'm married to an Indonesian lady, have been exposed to a variety of peoples, societies and their various good points and foibles, and am generally open to new ideas and am relatively liberal in my opinions. I therefore anticipated having no cognition of major differences in my behaviour, intentional or subliminal, with respect to race.

Incidentally this, of course, is solely my own opinion as I didn't think it essential, or even prudent, at this stage, to ask anyone, who knows me well (including my wife), what they think of my so called liberal attitudes.  

My obvious conclusion, prior to taking the Race IAT, was that I'm immune to any misconception of Northern European ethnic preferences, yes? Well, blow me down with a feather, and tickle my tonsils with a toothbrush, if my results didn't come back as follows:

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for White People compared to Black People. 
Results of my Race IAT

So that you're aware of how damming this result is in my own eyes, the IAT reports adopt the terms 'slight', 'moderate', and 'strong', for either preference.  As a number of tests have been run in the last few years, the Australian database reportedly indicates the following breakdown for this particular IAT:

9bae5058.jpg

From the above, it appears that, here in Australia, 70% of web respondents (i.e. the total of the first three lines in the above table) had a preference for white people.  Draw from this what you may, but after querying the viability of the methods of testing and analysis, and finding that a team of psychologists apparently failed in their endeavours to outsmart the testing procedure, I have been forced to accept that I am not the liberal minded person that I thought I was, and am a product of the formative years of my white upbringing in Scotland and of societally imposed racial prejudices, in spite of my varied experiences with many races and ethnic groups in later life.

I am still trying to find the moral fortitude to undertake some more of the tests listed above. Nevertheless, I encourage all you morally squeaky clean bees to jump in and verify how truly unbiased you undoubtedly are (or otherwise?) on whatever happens to be your preferred diversity. 😈

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I am advised that the IAT was developed by a consortium of researchers from Harvard, Yale, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington. The IAT is an effective tool to gain greater awareness about your own (unconscious) biases, preferences and beliefs. You'll find some useful background information on the IAT original and workings at the following link: http://www.projectimplicit.net/about.html

The IAT is publicly accessible via the internet and is free. There are several categories which relate to a range of human differences from which you can select. Furthermore, I understand that the IAT results are confidential and unattributable, based purely on heresay.

You can click here for the Australian tests: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/australia/  

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When not researching the weird or the wonderful, the comical or the cultured, the sinful or the serious, I chase my creative side, the results of which can be seen as selected photographs of my travels on my website at:

http://ken-boddie.squarespace.com

The author of the above, Ken Boddie, besides being a sometime poet and occasional writer, is an enthusiastic photographer, rarely leisure-travelling without his Canon, and loves to interact with other like-minded people with diverse interests.

Ken's three day work week (part time commitment) as a consulting engineer allows him to follow his photography interests, and to plan trips to an ever increasing list of countries and places of scenic beauty and cultural diversity.


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Comments

Ken Boddie

3 years ago #35

#47
The only MoCA test I’m interested in, Paul Walters, is one that measures my biases towards chocolate and coffee. 😂

Paul Walters

3 years ago #34

Better stick to the cognitive test that Trump aced !!

Ken Boddie

3 years ago #33

#45
Indeed, Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador, but it could be stated that not knowing why we are prejudiced isn't as bad as not even knowing we are prejudiced. The road to repair may be long and winding, but, as in many things, it starts with a revelation, and then a goal to change. BTW, have you tried any of the Implicit Association Tests at the link I provided? You might get an eye opener, for the best or worst. 🤣

Ken Boddie

3 years ago #32

I had the occasion to refer to this old post of mine in a recent comment stream. Having read it again, it appears to me that the subject of bias, subconscious or otherwise, is just as valid today as it was four years ago ... perhaps even more so?

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #31

#42
I'm glad I don't live in the America you describe and have experienced, Lyon, and I understand and respect that your views are a product of these experiences. Fortunately (or unfortunately where appropriate) there are large parts of the world where our prejudices and biases are less obvious or even subliminal. One main point brought out in the workshop, however, and supported by the IATs, was that our prejudicial preferences are often so subtle that we are entirely unaware of them. I invite you to try one or two of the tests, preferably on subjects with which you consider you have no bias, and see how you go. Surely the first step in repairing our biased opinions of our fellow human beings is to first become aware of our biases and then, and only then, can we make an attempt to move forward.

Lyon Brave

7 years ago #30

It takes a racist to be racists .I haven't been fat yet. I haven't been old yet, but I have been black. Let me tell you it sucks sometimes being black in white dominated societies because you know how the test confirms what we already know about whites perferungwhites, while that has ramifications of keeping minority groups down because at Ian interview that means they prefer a white candidate. Here in America our cops do gun for a lot of minor ours in fact Hispanics and blacks make up 75% of the prison population. I don't see my people because they have been locked up like animals. Everyone wants to pretend like America is so great. I like to say America is great if you are white. There is a reason the BLack Lives Matter Movment started to form just recently. unfortunately racism isn't the only problem, ageism is a real problem were we devalue some of our wisest members in society. We certainly need to love the rainbow of life, get out of our comfort zones and look at what's inside of the package.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #29

#40
Surprise was the prevalent reaction with most of my peers also, Claire. Goes to show that we don't necessarily know ourselves as well as we think we might, and that our subconscious biases may be deeper ingrained into our behaviour than anticipated. You might say we need to know the symptoms before we can concoct a cure! 🤔

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #28

#38
Awareness of our subconscious biases is certainly essential, Kev, if we are to benefit from diversity in the workforce. The IAT is certainly an essential tool in this respect and is not by any means a Character assessment tool. But with this knowledge comes the challenge of constantly reminding ourselves and bringing on board the tools and aids to look at the world of diversity. The lenses we wear don't always have to be convergent.

Kevin Pashuk

7 years ago #27

Thanks for the tag Ken... This is an area where I tend to have some opinions... but I'll spare you. In my work I've been subjected to almost any personality profiling tool that is/was out there. All of them basically certify me as nuts... oh, wait, that was the test where I asked my wife if she thought I was 'normal'. On the subject of bias... we all look at life through lenses, but they don't have to control us (i.e. allow us to excuse our behaviour). Being aware of how we are wired is usually a good step toward doing something about the shoddy areas.

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #26

#19
That is what learning is - a very long ladder in a snakes and ladder board of a life-time of experiences. Soul searching arises when reality throws up a dish we didn't think we would be served. I do think that it is the sheer weight of recent shifts of the populous that have shaken up people who had embraced 21st Century living, only to realize that evolution is operating from the century people are still living in, rather than the chronological century. The value of soul searching is an essential transition in our own growth and it is absolutely healthy - so long as we keep our own focus on the health. Soul searching is best an opening up of our lives and not a withdrawal back. How that expresses itself in my own life is that I have to step out of what I think am in, rather than get deeper into the weeds of my own introspection that effect my inner biology. It is the flow of our inner life - the cortisol, adrelanin, dopamine and serotonin reactions within us that are linked to our own mindfulness - never mind the inner psychological. What is happening to us is what is happening to the world - and that is why I welcome this conversation on bias, and later today will follow up on the link Dean Owen provided on prejudice. I am here to change the one thing that I know I can change in this world, which is me. I call this my learning journey but I also view the learning journey of others of people who I don't want to actually change, but simply appreciate. Our bodies are whole systems and bias is simply a small line item in the challenge of "know thyself". When I reframe meaning that way I begin to see wisdom.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #25

#33
I have 'eau de papa' in my sights, Praveen. 🔫

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #24

#30
Yep, Lisa, most of us on the workshop got a bit stressed out with the first one, but familiarity breeds contempt as 'they' say. Try the age test and the gender one, and have a ball next time. Always an excuse to have a glass of wine first,🍷then you can claim to have been pissed if the results are too damning. 😁

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #23

I just took the skin test.. data suggests I have a slight affinity to light skinned people over dark skinned. Interesting. My heart was beating because timed tests stress me out LOL

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #22

#26
Well, Lisa ..... If you'd really "like to know", Take the tests, have a go!

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #21

#25
Not sure, Praveen, if all bias can be so easily 'shed', or else we would be able to apply a one-off cure, rather than having to instil practical programmes to address bias on an ongoing basis. Not unlike bad dad jokes, I suggest that our biases inevitably hang around like a bad smell, demanding regular application of perfume to neutralise the atmosphere. 👃🌸

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #20

#23
#12 Thanks for the reminder, Praveen, and sorry for my mis-interpretation, Manjit. It appears that I may have developed a prejudicial bias against receiving complements, due almost entirely, no doubt, to the less than subtle bombardment of dad jokes frequently directed my way by masters of wit and sarcasm such as yourself, Praveen, and Kevin Pashuk. Although I must admit that these "slings and arrows" are usually received in retaliation for my initial sniper shots. 😂

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #19

Very interesting Ken Boddie mentioned, even TV. If I have biases I'm not aware of, I'd like to know! My ultimate goal (well one of my goals) is to get to know more people across the globe and vice versa.. I'd like them to get to know me, the human behind a label we all get, "White, black, American, Australian," and on the list goes.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #18

#22
Thank you for sharing your student marking experience, Vincent. We discussed some similar examples in our workshop, from which I have concluded that it is very difficult for most of us to detach ourselves from our prejudices without guidance. Incidentally, perhaps we are so enticed by television programmes such as The Voice (with its Blind Auditions) because prejudice and bias (certainly associated with age and race) are removed from the initial selection process.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #17

I sure do remember your post, Dean, and the guilt that now hounds me when I watch John Cleese in re-runs of Fawlty Towers, although this only lasts until I fall into spams of uncontrollable laughter. The subconscious bias of which I am talking, however, and the 'micro-inequities' and 'micro-affirmations', which were discussed in the workshop, are relatively subtle. Fortunately for our entertainment value, there is absolutely nothing subtle about John Cleese as he portrays Basil Fawlty. Thanks again for the reminder of our childhood innocence, but most of all for the Basil Fawlty exposure. 😂

Dean Owen

7 years ago #16

Well I saw this yesterday and took the weird tests today. Surprised to say the least but I suspect that our inherent biases are built over the course of a lifetime of watching TV (yes I blame TV and not books for obvious reasons). It all kind of confirms what I wrote here: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@dean-owen/unlearning-prejudice

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #15

Further to my #17 below, Pascal Derrien, I forgot to add that I am only on the bottom rung of a very long ladder of learning and practising the steps to mitigate the negative impacts of unconscious bias.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #14

#15
Thank for the link, Alexa. I've filed it away to read over the weekend.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #13

#16
#15 #14 #13 #9 #8 Thanks to Pascal, Alexa, CityVP, Randy, Susan and Pam for your interesting contributions to this topic. One of the things that surprised me most was the range of bias, or not, positive or negative, both in your comments and during the workshop which I attended, towards the actual implicit association testing processes themselves, which, as I indicated in my post, were a precursor to the actual workshop, and which was more completely titled: "Inclusive leadership workshop: challenging unconscious bias. Building understanding". Many of us know (or suspect we know) our biases, but the lack of diversity in organisations and businesses would tend to suggest otherwise. Furthermore, the lack of access to academia and psychological guidance in many of today's small businesses (which, more than larger budget enterprises, tend to drive our economy) would suggest that many, if not most, middle and senior management personnel are unaware of their unconscious biases. The purpose of the workshop was therefore to indicate to our staff (myself included) that a diverse workforce and inclusive environment brings benefits for organisations. It appears that one of the roadblocks to achieving a positive and diverse workforce is our unconscious biases which we need to recognise and challenge. These are not necessarily automatic skills which we naturally acquire with maturity, but are efforts we need to make, both as individuals and in workplace strategies, on an ongoing basis, much like time (or rather task) management requires ongoing attention. As some of you have pointed out, or may now understand, we all have biases, whether towards race, age, gender, or a myriad of other issues, but the obvious way forward to achieving diversity is to notice and be aware of these biases and to learn the steps we need to take (and practise) to mitigate any negative impacts.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #12

I sit on the D&I council for a large multinational and it is scary how even open minded people on that board can be tricked by subconscious bias we all carry some element of Bias whether we like it not and it is how we deal with it that defines us not the tests... :-)

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #11

#13
In our private moment honesty, truth, awareness, humility are great teachers but even if we are aware of our own bias, that assumes that bias equates with ignorance and is a disease state. The toxin of bias is unhealthy, but bias is a product of belief and beliefs arise at any age, even much is imported or even indoctrinated in our formative years. I represent the an n of 1 and this n=1 will take this Harvard test because I am curious about it and if the outputs from this test make the invisible visible i.e. reframes how I individually see the world, then that is simply a unit of learning. Professional bias is for the largest single area of bias we are exposed to as adults and in the education sector there is a bias for what is now called the "test culture". Personally I am horrified at times what this test culture subjects students and pupils. There are other tests like Myers-Briggs which people wear as their identity. While I personally view tests like Myers-Briggs a parlor game (just as Carl Jung described them), they are still a fascinating tool of potential insight and more importantly personal framing. The last Myers-Briggs Test I took was because a case competition team in the college had that listed as a task in a particular competition. When I took it, it came out as INTP. Yet I don't think that as an identity or label says anything about me, but there are elements to that process which are fascinating and I can see why we can lured into a test bias. Curiousity here helps my insight.

Randy Keho

7 years ago #10

I really don't think any of us need to take these tests to tell us what we already know, if we've allowed ourselves to be self-aware and truthful. I am fully aware of my biases, they were formed at a very innocent and tender age. However, over time, I have matured enough to apply filters that prevent me from acting upon what could be called programmed responses. However, as states, it's not always easy to do. After all, we are human.

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #9

#3
Hi Ken, where "I say my opinion can be best written by someone who is deeply reflective to begin with" - I mean YOU. Another great piece of work by Harvard is the Difficult Conversation project and in it, they discovered how people can misread intent. If there is cause for pause, it is a lesson in making a compliment much more clear and to the point and that of course is my learning. My intent here is to underscore and send appreciate for your reflection ability - just as I have reflective ability. What that line/opinion means is that reflection is not something that is common or even natural to the majority population. I would never describe the buzz as magnificent if I did not recognize the reflective qualities that shine in absolute abundance in this buzz. It would not make sense Ken, to say that I find something magnificent if I am also kicking them in the groin :-) What you wrote is a magnificent account of self-awareness, full of honesty and insight - I can't ask much more than that from my world view - because my world view is dictated by my own learning journey. I learned a lot here including how to be even more on point with my praise.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #8

#9
Thanks for the kind words, Susan. I hope you try one of the IATs.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #7

#8
And, of course, if we don't learn from our history, we're doomed to repeat it.
Fascinating article from Ken Boddie that will make us all think . . .

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #5

#6
Wow, Pam, I hope I haven't unleashed the beast and sentenced you to a life of purgatory? 😇

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #4

Just noticed that the IAT results table dropped out when I first published this post. This has now been rectified.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #3

#2
I wish you luck and revelation, Pam.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #2

#1
Just as the potential for plaque to form and to eventually block arteries (cultural or otherwise), CityVP, may, in most cases, be best assessed by a specialist, following appropriate diagnostic tests, then surely our subliminal tendencies towards bias may go unnoticed unless similarly assessed by appropriate specialist diagnostics. I grieve that you conclude my reflective capabilities are shallow and was unaware of your profound assessment of my character given our limited interaction to date. I nevertheless thank you for your comment and for taking time out to encourage me to continue my life long passage of self discovery rather than flagellating myself with this unexpected discovery.

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #1

Ken Boddie, this is a magnificent account of a tool you utilized that led to profound awareness and realization, albeit this in my opinion can be best written by someone who is deeply reflective to begin with. What I like most about this is it utilizes evidence based measurement, which can still be subject to another type of bias - which is how much we think this has shifted our perspective as a shared one - because there is a bag load of identity still involved in any type of sharing. The moment a name is printed on a birth certificate some form of bias is present - otherwise our parents should have called us by an "IT" number and then let us choose our own name. Even if we could not government would allow such freedom and though we can change our name, we are way past the point of unconditional love to select a name that was not influenced by some form of bias. Bias like waste are normal by-products of living in civilization - and like by-products we need to flush them away or at least notice if they are blocking our cultural arteries. A personal insightful piece is anything that makes me go WOW! What makes any of us go WOW! is anything that bursts our own bubble, and some of those bubbles have elements of bias that can be popped. What is important is insight here and that is a continuous life-long learning where bias in not a damnation but a self-discovery. I welcome such insight and personal discovery.

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