The Power of Bias and How to Disrupt It in Our Children (with Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt)
Jul 15, 2020
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Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt, a Stanford professor and MacArthur Fellow, dives into the intricacies of racial bias and its effects on children. She explains how biases form and their impact on schools and justice systems. As a mother, she shares personal insights on helping kids navigate societal perceptions of race. The discussion highlights the need for open conversations about bias and offers practical strategies for parents. Jennifer emphasizes that early experiences shape children's views, making parental guidance essential in fostering equity.
Bias develops in the brain through natural categorization, affecting areas like education and reinforcing racial disparities.
Engaging children in open conversations about race helps them critically analyze societal biases instead of internalizing them.
Deep dives
Understanding the Formation of Bias
Bias is formed through the brain's natural tendency to create categories to make sense of the world, which helps individuals quickly process information. While this instinct allows for coherent perceptions and decision-making, it also has the unintended consequence of reinforcing biases, especially racial ones. For instance, racial bias affects how teachers discipline students, often leading to harsher punishments for Black students than for their white peers for similar infractions. This cycle of bias and disparity perpetuates itself in various societal contexts, including education, the workplace, and the criminal justice system, creating a need for strategies to disrupt such biases.
Strategies to Disrupt Bias in Education
To combat biases in education, training programs can equip teachers with tools to reframe their approach to student discipline. Research shows that exposing teachers to the context behind a child's behavior can help them view students as individuals rather than members of a group, thus reducing disciplinary disparities. A successful intervention resulted in a significant decrease in suspension rates among Black students by encouraging teachers to consider the broader context surrounding misbehavior. This approach not only helps in individual cases but also fosters a more inclusive and understanding classroom environment.
Slow Down to Combat Implicit Bias
One effective method to reduce bias lies in slowing down decision-making processes, particularly in high-pressure situations where quick judgments are typically made. In a study involving police officers, asking them to pause and reflect before making a stop led to a substantial reduction in the number of stops of Black individuals. By introducing friction in the decision-making process through questions like whether a stop is intelligence-led, officers became more objective in their assessments. This practice can be applied in various contexts, encouraging individuals to take a step back and consider their biases before acting.
The Importance of Discussing Race with Children
Addressing race and bias with children is pivotal for fostering a racially literate generation. Children are highly observant and can pick up on subtle social cues about race and discrimination from a young age, which underlines the importance of open conversations about these topics. When parents engage their children in discussions about race and the implications of bias, they can help them question and analyze societal norms rather than internalizing them. By creating a space for dialogue and reflection, parents can equip their children with the understanding necessary to navigate complex social dynamics and challenge biases.
Dr. Jennifer Eberhart, author of the best-selling book “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do,” joins Janet to discuss how racial bias develops in the brain and creates disparities in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and the criminal justice system. As the mother of three sons, Jennifer has also witnessed the effects of bias in real time. She and Janet explore some of the steps parents can take to combat the development of bias in their children. "Preschoolers are picking this up and determining who's a good person, who's a bad person… They need our help in comprehending what's going on around them and helping them to make sense of it."
Jennifer is a Stanford University professor and a faculty director of SPARQ , a university initiative to use social psychological research to address pressing social problems. She has been named a MacArthur Fellow, one of “Foreign Policy”’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers, and elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.
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