Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do

Implicit bias is “a kind of distorting lens that’s a product of both the architecture of humans’ brains and the disparities in our society” (6). People can hold biases about a number of characteristics, including skin color, age, gender, etc. These biases can shape people’s brains and cause them to believe in certain stereotypes, ultimately leading to prejudice.

Other-race effect refers to the idea that humans are more apt to distinguish faces of those with the same race versus those of other races. This phenomenon shows up for all races all across the world. The book explores this idea as a foundational principle of how the human brain contributes to bias, often outside of conscious awareness.

Categorization is a natural function of the brain that organizes stimuli (24). This system which allows the brain to make faster and more efficient judgments, but it can also impede people’s abilities to treat others equally by “tuning us to the faces of people who like us and dampening our sensitivity to those who don’t” (24).