Implicit Bias and the Institutional Researcher

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Presenter(s):
Geoff Kaufman, Carnegie Mellon University
Courtney Bryant, Carnegie Mellon University
Jonathan Reynolds, Carnegie Mellon University

Prerequisites:
To participate in this workshop, an attendee will need to:

1. Watch a short video on unconscious bias prior to the workshop in order to gain a better sense of the topic. Link will be provided in advance of the workshop.
2. Take one test prior to the workshop to understand how implicit bias creeps in when you have to make quick decisions. Link will be provided in advance of the workshop.

Description:
Unconscious (or implicit) bias is believed to be a contributing factor that has stalled efforts at increasing diversity. Research has shown that the effects of implicit bias on judgments and behaviors are pervasive and unintentional - and, as a result, are often unrecognized and perpetuated unwittingly, even among those who are highly committed to equity and inclusion. In this workshop, the psychological basis of implicit bias is discussed and tools for awareness and mitigation of its unwanted effects on everyday behaviors, including information processing and decision making, are provided. The workshop is meant to provide a deeper understanding of how to begin to recognize and respond to implicit bias in ourselves and others.

The first part of this workshop will present an overview of the current understanding of how implicit biases form, how they affect cognition and behavior despite our best attempts at being objective and egalitarian, and how we can reduce their impact on social judgments, perceptions, and behaviors. There will be role-playing activities to give you practice at identifying and responding to unconscious bias as it affects researchers’ processes of information gathering, interpretation, and evaluation. The second part of the workshop is intended for attendees who would like to take the program back to their institutions or would like to implement a customized version of it for any processes that rely on making decisions and offering evaluations in an institutional research context.
 
Intended Learning Outcomes
Participants in this workshop will:

1. Understand how to collectively raise the consciousness of bias in organizational decision-making, in themselves and with respect to others.
2. Be provided with a set of tools used to mitigate bias, offering best practices and methods.