Testing Hidden Bias at Harvard (Alan Alda video)

In preparation for workshops it's great to have different ways of encouraging people to challenge their thinking...about themselves. For some time I have been steering people toward the Harvard University research on hidden bias. Their Implicit Association Tests give people an opportunity to reflect on the unconscious biases they may have - along with all the rest of us!

I found a video clip from a Scientific American TV series in which Alan Alda does a test for himself and discusses the results with the researchers involved. Despite their familiarity with the tests, the research leaders also still demonstrate significant unconscious bias based on gender and race. Amazing how persistent these biases are over time. On the positive side there is a discussion of actions which can reduce the impact of bias.

Here is the Alan Alda video