What Everyone Gets Wrong About Implicit Bias Trainings

Implicit bias trainings are used at companies like Google, Starbucks, and more in the hopes of increasing diversity and inclusion. But do they work? The answer is complicated. Lack of standardization means that these trainings are often not only significantly flawed themselves, but based on somewhat flawed concepts, including the Implicit Association Test. A more comprehensive approach that deals with systemic issues as well as individual behaviors could be a better way to improve diversity and inclusion at a company.

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The Problem With Implicit Bias Trainings

[BrutusAlbion]

Sooo ... there's a bias in implicit bias training?

Shocking ...

[SlazeM]

"99.9% of what our brains process is unconscious.
"

How do you even measure that?

[thepartyperson]

For a science channel, y’all sure do provide a lot of claims with no accompanying evidence. What happened to the scientific method my dudes?

[mackenheimer]

Astrology also has a below average test score according to Acceptable Standards. Thats why we don't use it in the workplace.

[nathanlevesque]

What about humanizing the people to which prejudice is found through actual experiences?

[leeroychikwavira]

The more you know the more you don't know,

[haidagwaiiintel]

Not science. This is not science. I know that. We know that

[uoenoho]

History becomes your psychology—just in case you’re wondering why you have that boring history class.

[DangerAmbrose]

Seems like biases are biased on straight male Europeans. That's bias.

[MomoKunDaYo]

Ah yes. What many used to refer to as "brainwashing"

[tippysvids]

Thats right... were so against racism that the only thing we care about when hiring you is your skin color and sexual identity.

[mcglubski]

I didn't even realize people used this test for serious things, I saw it more as a Meyers-Briggs thing lol

[thomaspasquale]

If we don't have much of a standard way of measuring this bias diagnostically or even delivering the programs, and we see changes in outcomes, how can we attribute those changes in outcome to legitimate reductions in bias? It seems at least in my medical program that the critiques of validity provided here even were not talked about basically at all. It was pushed as a reliable indicator of latent bias. After all, if we have a real issue with validated measurement tools then the assumptions we can make from chsnges in outcomes should also be called into question, right?

[grejsancoprative]

The problem isn't the "implicit bias", the way people seem to want it to be are like if every time you saw a car, you would involentary run in the opposite direction cause it might run you over. There's much more going on before your brain even start to consider avoiding the car; and it's the same with people we meet. Just because our brain might implicity associate a group of people with something, does not mean we'll treat the individual accordingly. Like with how we don't run away every time we see a car.
I know it's hard for a scientist and researcher who think of this sort of BS to forget what human interaction are; but, I like most people who live in the outside world have no issue with interacting with people from any background and status... We, just don't care. Actually. I could with certainty guess that most people think things like race and sexual orientation, or even how you precieve your own gender are the least interesting things about you as a person - and if your whole personality are based around those things most people will think of you as tedious and boring to be around.

[ProkofNY]

If you want to fix your own biases and you are introspective and adept to understand them, good for you. However, no one should be coercing you or appealing to your good intentions to have you undergo this sort of training. It is a scam and I hope more people speak out about the lack of good evidence to back it up.

[marshallsamford]

"Theres just some bad stuff in there somewhere"
Science wow! 😃

[VagabondRetro]

Bias is complicated and not always bad, depending on what it is about. This test is also poorly structured.

[mrridikilis]

4:27 "When firms or companies have more of them [implicit bias trainings], their diversity and inclusion outcomes tend to be better." That seems likely, but are these outcomes really better? Just because you increased your BIPOC team membership from 15% to 50%, what evidence is there that the decision was done because old biases have been overcome? Could it be that new biases are now being implemented (i.e. explicitly choosing BIPOC individuals to "bolster" the numbers)?

[litgnm]

"Unlearning."
"Re-education."

Two things that mean something very similar, yet give me a completely different feeling when thought of. I'm not a fan of any system that tries to control thought.

Yes, racism needs to be quashed...but I mean real racism, not the 2% extra apprehension your subconscious feels when you see someone with a specific look. Skin color/ethnicity clearly triggers unconscious bias, but so do *many* other things...like tattoos, muscles, apparel, numbers (like seeing a gang, ) etc. The tattoo'd muscley guy hanging with his friends could be a super good person, but is my subconscious wrong for being aware/wary?

It's strange how people want to think they are machines...machines that can be perfected. Our biology is too intricate to control things on certain levels, unless you do it forcefully....

Which is why I can't help but be consciously bias'd against subconscious bias 'training.' By all means, try to create a world where discrimination due to race/gender doesn't exist, but I feel it's being taken to the micro level before the base level has been even closed to solved.

[lens_hunter]

I remember I once told a coworker that I wasn't physically attracted to black women at all. He said that made me racist. I still don't really understand that.