UNConscious
BIAS
Unconscious biases (also known as implicit biases) are learned attitudes, assumptions or beliefs held subconsciously. This means we aren’t always aware of these biases and the effect these have on how we think and feel about those around us. Subconscious assumptions aren’t always well-formed coherent thoughts but can still be ingrained into us. Unconscious biases often act to reinforce stereotypes.
Our brain uses a series of shortcuts and patterns to form conclusions and this happens by taking the information that is stored subconsciously in our minds. This information could include things like our previous experiences and the way we were brought up, our own opinions and what we have been exposed to seeing in the media.
Our unconscious biases tend to be formed throughout our lives by observation of surrounding environments and experiences. There are many forms of unconscious bias, the most common involves emphasising on negative traits of people because they align with our own existing beliefs. Other biases directly depend on stereotypes and can result in prejudicial actions including racism, ageism as well as beauty bias. These forms of unconscious biases prevent inclusivity and instead, cause discrimination in many harmful ways.
Knowing
UNCONSCIoUS
BIAS
SIX
Common
UNCONSCIOUS
BIAS
AFFINITY BIAS
BEAUTY BIAS
CONTRAST BIAS
GENDER BIAS
HALO BIAS
HORNS BIAS
Affinity
Bias
A tendency to prefer people who have similar qualities, experiences and background as us.
Affinity bias (also called similarity bias) is when someone associates with those just because they share similar interests, backgrounds and experiences. This means we may prefer someone over another because we share qualities with them. This can happen because this person may seem familiar and relatable and people like to be around those they can relate to.
It may be helpful to actively take note of similarities we share with someone so we can identify characteristics that could cloud our judgement. It is important to give people a chance by getting to know them better. The more we understand each other, the more likely we become in finding a comfortable common ground. In addition to this, the more we interact with diverse groups of people, we become comfortable being around broader groups of people.
BEAUTY
BIAS
A tendency to perceive attractive people positively, associating them with being more intelligent, hard-working and moral than unattractive people.
Beauty bias is a tendency to view conventionally attractive people as more intelligent, moral, sociable and competent. Attractive individuals are generally perceived in a positive manner compared to unattractive people. More attractive people are likely to be hired and promoted whilst those less attractive are more likely to be fired. Workplaces may also discriminate against those who are obese, have tattoos or are dressed strangely as these typically do not fit into society’s existing dominant beauty standards.
CONTRAST
BIAS
The contrast effect takes place when two things are compared with each other. This form of bias will alter out perception of something as we compare it to something else.
Contrast bias is a form of unconscious bias which alters our perception of something when it is compared to something else, by emphasising the differences between these. The following are examples of contrast bias.
Students may feel less confident in their academic capabilities when they are placed into a class with many other high-performing students
People may feel more attractive after viewing photos of those who are conventionally less attractive.
THE
BANDWAGON
FALLACY
Unconscious gender bias includes nintentional preferences for one gender over another often coming from one’s culture, experiences traditional and norms.
Gender bias is a type of behaviour that shows favouritism toward one gender over another. In the majority of cases, gender bias typically acts to favour men over women although this is not always the case. People possessing these stereotypical gender beliefs tend to engage in the differential treatment of men and women. This could be intentional, but could also be an unconscious process (i.e. people do not realise they are even doing this!)
Halo
BiAs
The halo effect occurs when a person’s qualities are judged by other qualities that are generally unrelated. These are typically physical qualities. This person is perceived in a positively manner.
The Halo bias is a behaviour where positive impressions of a person in one area tend to positively influence our beliefs in a different area. In other words, the Halo effect occurs when one trait of a person is taken to form an overall judgement of this person. This type of bias can be found throughout all aspects of our lives from schools to workplaces and even in marketing. As the Halo effect takes over our decision-making abilities, it can negatively affect our capability of thinking critically about the traits which people have.
As a result of this, we can unfairly judge others and also forego important opportunities. The Halo effect can occur as our impressions of others are not solely based upon objective information but instead, an image we construct that fits with our existing knowledge.
The Horns effect is a type of unconscious bias where surface level impressions cause people have a negative opinion of a person.
Horns
BIAS
The Horns bias is the opposite of the Halo bias. The Horns effect is a type of bias where our negative impression of a person in one area alters our impression of them in other areas. In other words, the Horns effect occurs when one negative trait of a person is taken to form an overall judgement of this person. This occurs when people believe that negative traits are related to each other. A common example of the Horns bias is the stereotype of an overweight person being associated with being lazy, unintelligent, and irresponsible.
avioding
UNCONSCIOUS
BIAS
Unconscious biases can have large effects on decision-making and the ability to think and judge people and scenarios critically. Being aware that these biases exist is the first step to minimising being influenced by these in the first place. It is important to accept the fact that most people have unconscious biases, and this is part of being human. It is also important to remember that human beings are complex. We cannot be defined by a single trait regardless of how noticeable this trait appears to be. People have personalities determined by many different traits, many of which may not even be noticeable straight away. The media tends to reinforce these biases. An example of this is that the most conventionally attractive actors are usually those that are most confident, wealthy and successful. Similarly, conventionally unattractive actors may lack confidence and have many more failures.
It may be helpful to slow down when making decisions as unconscious bias is likely to occur when decisions are made in a hurry or in the heat of the moment. It can be helpful to take a step back and evaluate before a decision is made. We should question the first impressions we make of others and ask if we have made any decisions rapidly on the traits of a person. Were these decisions made objectively or could there be contributing unconscious biases? It is highly beneficial to widen our social circles by speaking with people that are different to us. These differences could exist culturally or academically. These will support leading to greater understanding, find a common ground and build confidence in being a part of broader groups. The more we actively aim to seek out and gain knowledge about biases, the better we become in applying reasoning with logic and making well-thought-out decisions.