(rattling) - Welcome to module two, Bias Awareness and Socialization. In this module, we will define different types of bias, discuss internalized oppression, and explore socialization. We'll also explore how biases are formed and consider the application of bias to the places and spaces we live and work. By the end of this session, you should be able to define and understand biases and their different types. We'll explore our own biases using the implicit association test and even dig into how they're formed through the process of socialization. We'll introduce identity authoring and discuss the relationship between identity formation, and bias and oppression. First, let's start by level setting with some terms. For the purposes of this discussion, bias is defined as an unfair preference for, or dislike of something. These biases are considered unfair because they're unexamined. There are two different types of biases. First, we have explicit biases, which are clear and obvious. These are the ones that you know. You likely have a favorite color, a favorite food, or may have a favorite kind of music. Prince is mine. It's clear and obvious, and your actions reflect these preferences and the choices you make. Implicit biases, however, are implied. They're not stated. And most of us are not consciously aware that they exist. They're not as clear and obvious, yet they're indicated by what is expressed or acted upon, rather than what is stated. Explicit bias is conscious. We know that we're acting upon our preferences. It's deliberate. We make definitive choices based upon our preference for or dislike of things. You like the North Carolina Tar Heels over Duke, for example. You like chocolate over vanilla ice cream. You have a favorite cousin. It's conspicuous and it's identifiable. However, implicit biases are unconscious. They're often denied by those who discover that they have these biases, because they're hidden. And their effects are not as easily recognizable in our day-to-day lives. That said, implicit bias is also insidious in that it kind of festers beneath the surface, and, if left unchecked, can have a huge impact on the way we interact with people, the way people perceive us, and even on policies, programs, and practices in our workplaces and organizations. Now let's consider when biases begin and why biases are so harmful. Research has discovered that racial biases, for example, begin as early as six months as babies notice visible race-based differences. By ages two to four, children can internalize racial bias and act upon it. By age 12, many have already become set in their beliefs. Because of the environments they may grow in, such as parents and caregivers. they notice social category labels, social status, and bias-influenced behavior exhibited by family members. Biases, and the stereotypes that go along with them, can unconsciously affect opportunity access for minoritized groups that historically have less societal privilege. This is particularly the case within the systems that these biases are present, which we'll discuss later in this module. Before we dig into the types of biases, let's understand how biases are informed by our brain. All of us have three primary parts of the brain that work in any given combination to influence each other, and also may influence our biases. The first part of the brain that you'll notice towards the back of your head is the reptilian brain. This fundamental compulsive, and most primitive part of the brain instantly classifies your subjects as a danger or not. It governs some of the most basic emotions, such as fear, sex, shelter, food, and whether someone is friend or enemy. The limbic brain, also known as the mammal brain, is the part of the brain that governs feelings and emotions. And it also connects memories. It associates past experiences and unconsciously influences our behaviors and motivations. This may be the part of the brain that say, for example, makes the smell of homemade apple pie or fresh baked cookies think of your childhood. Conversely, if there's a similar smell, or person, place, or thing that reminds you of something negative, that's also going to invoke negative feelings and emotions. It's your limbic brain that's connecting those feelings and emotions. The most developed part of the brain is the neocortex brain or the human brain. The human brain controls language, ideas, concepts, and artistic visions. It's the learning part of the brain that really engages with abstract thought, imagination, reasoning, and planning. This is the part of the brain that can be influenced by learning and development opportunities, like the one you're in now, that gets you to think more consciously about your perspectives and interactions. So if you bring these three parts of the brain together, the reptilian brain, governing instinct, dominance, and survival, the mammal, or limbic brain, that governs feelings and emotions, and the neocortex, or human brain, that's evolved and engaged with language, ideas, concepts, and artistic visions, these three together at a computing speed of 38,000 trillion operations per second, followed by our gut instinct, leads to reaching your snap judgment point, the primary means through which biases are expressed. Before we get into the different types of biases, I'd like us to consider some sobering statistics about the effects of bias on opportunity and access. (rattling)
