DOCSLIB.ORG

The Implicit Association Test: Flawed Science Tricks Americans Into Believing They Are Unconscious Racists Althea Nagai, Phd 

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Implicit Association Test: Flawed Science Tricks Americans Into Believing They Are Unconscious Racists Althea Nagai, Phd  SPECIAL REPORT No. 196 | DECEMBER 12, 2017 The Implicit Association Test: Flawed Science Tricks Americans into Believing They Are Unconscious Racists Althea Nagai, PhD The Implicit Association Test: Flawed Science Tricks Americans into Believing They Are Unconscious Racists Althea Nagai, PhD SR-196 About the Author Althea Nagai, PhD, is Research Fellow at the Center for Equal Opportunity. The author would like to thank the Center for Equal Opportunity for its editorial support and advice throughout the publication process. This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: http://report.heritage.org/sr196 The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 546-4400 | heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. SPECIAL REPORT | NO. 196 DECEMBER 12, 2017 The Implicit Association Test: Flawed Science Tricks Americans into Believing They Are Unconscious Racists Althea Nagai, PhD Introduction very low correlations. Perhaps this is to be expected In 1998, University of Washington psychologist from a test measuring differences in milliseconds: Anthony Greenwald and his colleagues developed One-tenth of a second can lead to highly charged a test that purports to uncover unconscious rac- accusations of racism. ism.1 Supposedly tapping into the unconscious, the Next, the difference in milliseconds can be Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures disparities explained by factors other than unconscious bias. in millisecond response times on a computer. Based There are, simply speaking, a wide variety of other on this, Greenwald and others claim that three out explanations. Rather than unconscious racism, the of four Americans suffer from unconscious racism.2 test could measure the test taker’s familiarity with Over the course of the past 20 years, the test has pairings of words and pictures. Scientists who substi- received significant media coverage in theWashing - tuted familiar versus nonsense words in place of white ton Post, New York Times, NPR, CNN, and PBS. By versus black photos or names produced the same 2013, Greenwald and Harvard psychologist Mahza- effect as the race IAT. Some behavioral scientists sug- rin Banaji claimed that the “automatic White prefer- gest the race IAT measures a “figure/ground” effect, ence expressed on the Race IAT is now established where white faces and names are the familiar and fall as signaling discriminatory behavior.”3 into the background, while black faces and names are But there are many scientific critics of this test, more distinctive, thus becoming more prominent. and it is far from settled science. A growing body of Some critics note that the IAT does not distinguish research suggests that the test cannot predict real- between cultural stereotyping, knowledge of these world behavior.4 stereotypes, and prejudice. In a similar vein, the IAT To start, it is not clear that there are significant could measure knowledge of racial disparities, which and reliable differences in response time, as has in turn could generate anger, disapproval, or dis- been asserted. When individuals take the IAT more may—not necessarily endorsement or prejudice. In than once, there is a good chance that results from some test takers, the IAT could tap into a fear of being the first and second (and subsequent) times have called a racist instead of being an unconscious racist. 1 THE IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST: FLAWED SCIENCE TRICKS AMERICANS INTO BELIEVING THEY ARE UNCONSCIOUS RACISTS There are many other factors that bias the test principle of racial equality.9 Yet often, racial dispari- results, including knowing the purpose of the test, ties in outcomes persist in income, education, home faking the test results, repeatedly taking the test, ownership, hiring, promotion, arrests and convic- being in the presence of African Americans, cogni- tions, business ownership and contracting, and tive quickness and flexibility, physical speed, and social mobility generally. This has led some social manual dexterity. scientists, media commentators, and government Other social scientists have raised the seri- officials to argue that there is widespread racism in ous problems related to the low level of predictive our country, but it is unconscious. power associated with the test. The test has not Central to this movement has been an innova- been shown to significantly predict discriminatory tion in psychology that has garnered a great deal behavior. Test results are not closely related to any of publicity recently. Anthony Greenwald and his other measures of discrimination: Correlations are colleagues developed the Implicit Association Test modest at best. Even a meta-analysis by its inventors and designed a series of experiments that purports found this to be the case. to uncover the racism that still exists but in uncon- Not surprisingly, the proportion of false posi- scious form.10 According to Greenwald and Banaji, tives may be substantial. Estimates of false positives 75 percent of Americans who take the IAT are found range from 60 percent to 90 percent. to be unconscious racists.11 This high probability of error has led its original The IAT is an association test based on millisec- proponents to conclude that it should be used with ond reaction time. It measures the speed with which caution: “Taken together, there is substantial risk a subject associates pleasant or unpleasant words for both falsely identifying people as eventual dis- such as “joy,” “crime,” or “work” with categories, for criminators and failing to identify people who will example, “black” or “white,” “male” or “female.” To discriminate.”5 In 2015, Greenwald, Banaji, and start, Greenwald and his colleagues use the IAT to Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, assess implicit attitudes toward socially neutral cat- concluded that the IAT “risk[s] undesirably high egories, such as flower versus insect, and pair these rates of false classification.”6 pictures with pleasant versus unpleasant words. The claimed “proof” of unconscious but wide- How the test works: Researchers instruct test spread racism can and will be used to justify any takers to first hit the “positive” key when a flower number of dubious policies. If the Implicit Asso- appears on the computer screen and hit the “nega- ciation Test is used to support claims that decision tive” key with insects, and to hit the “positive” key makers in hiring and university admissions, hous- when pleasant words appear and hit the “negative” ing, bank loans, and government contracting, among key with unpleasant words. others, are unconsciously biased, then proponents Researchers then switch the flowers/insects cat- will argue that this justifies the use of racial prefer- egories and instruct test takers to create “incom- ences—and even goals and quotas—to counterbal- patible” pairings. Subjects are instructed to select ance this purported prejudice. Conversely, where the “positive” key when insects or pleasant words such “affirmative action” is not used, or where there appear but select the “negative” key when flowers or is any sort of racial disparity, these implicit-racism unpleasant words appear. studies can be used to challenge selection deci- The IAT found stronger associations, as measured sions as discriminatory in lawsuits.7 These studies by reaction speed in milliseconds, between combi- could be used as evidence of discrimination by law nations that were compatible versus those that were enforcement8 and to require minority “representa- not. Pictures of flowers (e.g., a rose or tulip) com- tion” of judges and on juries. “Unconscious bias” by bined with pleasant words and pictures of insects teachers could be used to challenge their grading (e.g., a wasp or horsefly) combined with unpleas- and discipline. The possibilities are endless. ant words produced faster reaction times than the incompatible pairing of flowers and unpleasant Background words or insects and pleasant words. Since the 1950s, public opinion on race has From this assessment of socially neutral catego- shown a decline in racial prejudice over time, with a ries, Greenwald and his colleagues moved on to race. momentous shift in white public opinion toward the With this schema, they instructed test takers to hit 2 SPECIAL REPORT | NO. 196 DECEMBER 12, 2017 the “positive” and “negative” keys, creating patterns African American state employees claimed class- of associations as follows: For the “compatible”12 set wide bias in hiring and promotion based on dispa- of pairings, test takers were instructed to pick the rate impact statistics and implicit racial bias. Expert “positive” key when white pictures and pleasant witness testimony on unconscious racism was cen- words appeared, and to hit the “negative” key when tral to their claims. The case became the first site for black pictures and unpleasant words appeared. For dueling experts on the scientific status of implicit the “incompatible” set of pairings, test takers were racism. Anthony Greenwald was the expert witness told to hit the “positive” key when black pictures and for the plaintiffs, and Philip Tetlock, a psychologist pleasant words appeared and to hit the “negative” at the University of Pennsylvania, was the expert for key when white pictures and unpleasant words were the state of Iowa. Ultimately, the judge rejected the flashed on the screen. implicit bias theory and ruled for the State of Iowa.19
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Performance on Indirect Measures of Race Evaluation Predicts Amygdala Activation
    Performance on Indirect Measures of Race Evaluation Predicts Amygdala Activation The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Phelps, Elizabeth A., Kevin J. O'Connor, William A. Cunningham, E. Sumie Funayama, J. Christopher Gatenby, John C. Gore, and Mahzarin R. Banaji. 2000. Performance on indirect measures of race evaluation predicts amygdala activation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 12(5): 729-738. Published Version doi:10.1162/089892900562552 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3512208 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Performance on Indirect Measures of Race Evaluation Predicts Amygdala Activation Elizabeth A. Phelps New York University Kevin J. O'Connor Massachusetts Institute of Technology William A. Cunningham and E. Sumie Funayama Yale University J. Christopher Gatenby and John C. Gore Yale University Medical School Mahzarin R. Banaji Yale University Abstract & We used fMRI to explore the neural substrates involved in (Implicit Association Test [IAT] and potentiated startle), but the unconscious evaluation of Black and White social groups. not with the direct (conscious) expression of race attitudes. In Specifically, we focused on the amygdala, a subcortical Experiment 2, these patterns were not obtained when the structure known to play a role in emotional learning and stimulus faces belonged to familiar and positively regarded evaluation. In Experiment 1, White American subjects observed Black and White individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Implicit Bias? March 1, 2017
    Prepared for the Senate Select Committee on Women and Inequality by Megan Lane of the Senate Office of Research What is Implicit Bias? March 1, 2017 Brief Summary of Implicit Bias Implicit bias involves “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.”1 According to a body of scholarly research, the unconscious attitudes we hold about other people often are based on categories such as race, gender, age, or ethnicity. Studies suggest that implicit bias is pervasive, not necessarily in line with our declared beliefs, developed early in life, and not fixed.2 Further, implicit bias is expressed at both an individual and institutional level. Institutional bias has been studied in the education, employment, and criminal justice contexts,3 and it may present itself in an organization’s policies and procedures. Some researchers believe implicit bias influences behavior and contributes to discriminatory conduct.4 Conversely, other experts contend that the evidence linking unconscious bias to discriminatory behavior is weak and warrants further study.5 The State of Research on Implicit Bias In the 1950s, psychologists studying social cognition focused on the nature of prejudice. Early research on prejudice led to studies that attempted to separate out our “automatic” versus “controlled” processing of information.6 In the 1990s, researchers focused much of their attention on understanding our automatic or unconscious judgments. In 1995, social psychologists Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji 1 Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, “Understanding Implicit Bias,” Ohio State University, 2015. http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/.
    [Show full text]
  • Implicit Bias and the Law
    SEEING THROUGH COLORBLINDNESS: IMPLICIT BIAS AND THE LAW * Jerry Kang ** Kristin Lane Once upon a time, the central civil rights questions were indisputably normative. What did “equal justice under law” require? Did it, for example, permit segregation, or was separate never equal? This is no longer the case. Today, the central civil rights questions of our time turn also on the underlying empirics. In a post–civil rights era, in what some people exuberantly embrace as post-racial, many assume that we already live in a colorblind society. Is this in fact the case? Recent findings about implicit bias from mind scientists sharply suggest otherwise. This Article summarizes the empirical evidence that rejects facile claims of perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral colorblindness. It then calls on the law to take a “behavioral realist” account of these findings, and maps systematically how it might do so in sensible, nonhysterical, and evidence-based ways. Recognizing that this call may be politically naive, the Article examines and answers three objections, sounding in “junk science” backlash, “hardwired” resignation, and “rational” justification. * Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law. [email protected]. http://jerrykang.net. ** Assistant Professor of Psychology, Bard College. Financial disclosure statement: The authors have earned honoraria from academic lectures on implicit bias. Professor Kang also serves as a paid consultant to the National Center for State Courts’ project on implicit bias. For helpful comments, we thank Gary Blasi, Devon Carbado, Rachel Godsil, Carol Goldberg, Anthony Greenwald, Cheryl Harris, Ken Karst, Sung Hui Kim, Doug Kysar, Greg Mitchell, Jennifer Mnookin, Jeff Rachlinski, Russell Robinson, Len Rubinowitz, Ed Stein, Michael Sullivan, Steven Willborn, and Noah Zatz.
    [Show full text]
  • Experimental Social Psychology (Section A) Dr
    Psychology 303: Experimental Social Psychology (Section A) Dr. David Simpson, Professor of Psychology Fall 2012 Syllabus: MTRF 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. Rankin 206 Office: Rankin 211 Office Hours: 11:00 – 11:50 MTRF and by appointment Phone: Office: [262-524] - 7252 Home: 262 - 966-7206 Electronic Mail: [email protected] Carroll Web page: http://www.carrollu.edu/programs/psychology/faculty_profile.asp?id=2F 38 Blog: http://curiousdavidredux.typepad.com/ Required texts: Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Student Resource Web Page: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073370665/student_view0/index.html Aronson, J. & Aronson, E. (2012). (Eds). Readings about the social animal. (11th ed.) New York: Worth “Free” online text we shall be drawuing upon: Stangor, C (2011). Principles of Social Psychology. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc. Important Social Psychology Web Sites 1) Scott Plous’ (Wesleyan University) “Social Psychology Network” http://www.socialpsychology.org/ 2) Jon Mueller’s “Student Resources for the Teaching of Social Psychology” http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/crow/student.htm 3) Elliot Aronson’s Web Site http://aronson.socialpsychology.org/ 4) David Myers’ Home page http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=1 Course Objectives: I look upon this course as an opportunity to help you build upon and Syllabus for Experimental Social Psychology 303: Dr. David Simpson Page 101 apply what you have learned in other courses. I plan provide you with a number of opportunities to read, think deeply about, write about and discuss social psychological research. I hope to increase your knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the research process and of systematic, critical reflection.
    [Show full text]
  • DIALOGUE Volumepage 17, 1 No
    DIALOGUE VolumePage 17, 1 No. 2 ________________________ DIALOGUE DIALOGUE Fall, 2002 The Official Newsletter of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Chris Crandall & Monica Biernat, Co-Editors SPSP Announces Summer Institute in Social Psychology for Graduate Students Inside the Current Issue: By Eliot Smith Boulder, July 13-26, 2003. also sign up for one of two Plans are to offer SISP at a methodological workshops, different site every two to be held on the middle SPSP Executive 2 With funding from the Committee report National Science years thereafter in odd- weekend of the two-week Foundation, the Society of numbered summers, to course period. The Graduate student news: 4 Personality and Social alternate with the European instructors and topics for New poster award Psychology (SPSP) will Association summer SISP 2003 have not been offer a two-week intensive schools, which are held in finalized yet, but will be Comings and goings 6 summer school for even-numbered years. listed in the official predoctoral students in announcement due out in The institute can late October 2002. Publications Committee 8 social psychology (and a report limited number of accommodate a total of 100 students. Each student will The fee for each student will postdoctoral individuals). President’s Column: 9 enroll in one of five full- be $200, which covers The Summer Institute in Steele on APA Social Psychology (SISP) is length courses, each taught tuition, housing in shared modeled on the highly by two nationally prominent dorm-style rooms, and Scientists’ responses to 10 successful summer school co-instructors. The courses meals.
    [Show full text]
  • Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Perspectives on Robust and Reliable Science
    Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Perspectives on Robust and Reliable Science Report of the Subcommittee on Replicability in Science Advisory Committee to the National Science Foundation Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Subcommittee Members: Kenneth Bollen (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cochair) John T. Cacioppo (University of Chicago, Cochair) Robert M. Kaplan (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Jon A. Krosnick (Stanford University) James L. Olds (George Mason University)1 Staff Assistance Heather Dean (National Science Foundation) Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations presented in this material are only those of the authors; and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. May, 2015 1 James Olds came off the Subcommittee in October, 2014 when he became the Assistant Director for the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. INTRODUCTION Scientific knowledge is cumulative. The production of each empirical finding should be viewed more as a promissory note than a final conclusion. If a scientific finding cannot be independently verified, then it cannot be regarded as an empirical fact. And if a literature contains illusory evidence rather than real findings, the efficiency of the scientific process can be compromised. In recent years, we have seen an accumulation of evidence suggesting that some scientific findings thought to be robust may in fact be illusory (e.g., Ioannidis, 2008). In some instances, initial findings turned out to be intentionally fraudulent, maliciously fabricated rather than being generated through genuine data collection and analysis. Scientists presume that such outright fraud is rare, because instances of it have seldom emerged.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae Janice A
    Curriculum Vitae Janice A. Sabin January, 2016 1 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CURRICULUM VITAE JANICE A. SABIN, PhD, MSW PERSONAL DATA: Address: University of Washington Research Associate Professor, School of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education Health Sciences Building, Box 357240 Seattle, WA 98195-7240 Phone: 206-616-9421 (office), 206-851-7938 (mobile) E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://faculty.washington.edu/sabinja Born: Bridgeport, Connecticut EDUCATION: 1972 Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Boston University 2001 Master of Social Work, University of Washington, Health/Mental Health Concentration 2006 Doctor of Philosophy, Social Welfare, University of Washington, NIMH Prevention Research Trainee, Dissertation: Health Care Provider Implicit and Explicit Racial Bias and Medical Care (Committee: David Takeuchi (Chair), Frederick Rivara, Anthony Greenwald, Lew Gilchrist) Other: 2012-2013 Certificate in Nonfiction Writing, University of Washington 2013-2014 Seattle Writers Workshop AREAS OF INTEREST: Health equity and social determinants of health Health care delivery to health disparity populations The science of implicit (unconscious) bias and effects on medical care Culturally tailored health communication, health literacy Health equity curriculum development Workforce diversity Curriculum Vitae Janice A. Sabin January, 2016 2 Interprofessional education Faculty development, continuing education POST GRADUATE TRAINING: NA FACULTY POSITIONS: 2007 – 2009 Acting Assistant
    [Show full text]
  • Implicit Bias in Litigation
    `` Implicit Bias in Litigation Hon. Malaika Scott-McLaughlin Catherine Gonzales, Esq. Omar Nasar, Esq. March 25, 2021 Implicit Bias in Litigation This presentation is intended to provide an overview of implicit bias in litigation. I. INTRODUCTION a. Overview i. Implicit Bias 1. Definition a. Implicit bias is the brain’s automatic, instant association of stereotypes or attitudes toward particular groups, without person’s conscious awareness. b. It is the bias in judgment and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive processes (e.g. implicit attitudes and implicit stereotypes) that often operate at a level below conscious awareness and without intentional control. 2. Exhibit A a. Jerry Kang, Judge Mark Bennett, Devon Carbado, Pam Casey, Nilanjana Dasguta, David Faigman, Rachel Godsil, Anthony G. Greenwald, Justin Levinson, Jennifer Mnookin, Implicit Bias in the Court Room, 59 UCLA L. Rev. 1124 – 1186 (2012) b. Kathleen Nalty, Strategies for Confronting Unconscious Bias, Colorado Bar Association, The Colorado Lawyer 45 (May 2016) 1 II. IMPLICIT BIAS IN CRIMINAL LAW & LITIGATION a. Overview i. Exhibit B 1. Batson v Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986) 2. Flowers v Mississippi, 588 U.S. ___ (2019) 3. Cynthia Lee, A New Approach to Voir Dire on Racial Bias, UC Irvine L Rev 5, 843 – 872 (2015) 4. Peter A. Joy, Race Matters in Jury Selection, Northwestern University L Rev109, 180 – 186 (2015) III. IMPLICIT BIAS IN CIVIL LAW & LITIGATION a. Overview i. Exhibit C 1. Jennifer K. Elek and Paula Hannaford-Agor, First, Do No Hard: On Addressing the Problem of Implicit Bias in Juror Decision Making, 49 Court Review, 190 – 198 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Implicit Social Cognition on Consumer Behavior Andrew Perkins
    17 Measuring the Nonconscious Implicit Social Cognition on Consumer Behavior Andrew Perkins Rice University Mark Forehand Anthony Greenwald University of Washington Dominika Maison University of Warsaw INTRODUCTION Current research in psychology suggests that much of human behavior is infl uenced by uncon- trolled, unobserved processes in memory (Bargh, 2002; Greenwald et al., 2002). Despite this increased attention to nonconscious processes within academic psychology, consumer research has largely neglected this nascent fi eld: reviews of the last fi ft een years of consumer behavior research report a focus on research methodologies that directly tap conscious beliefs, but which provide little insight into underlying implicit processes (Cohen & Chakravarti, 1990; Jacoby, Johar, & Mor- rin, 1998; Simonson Carmon, Dhar, Drolet, & Nowlis, 2001). As an example, research into the structure and function of attitudes has relied almost exclusively on explicit measures, encourag- ing the development of theories dependent on conscious evaluation and deliberation. Although these theories are essential to the advancement of the fi eld, they oft en neglect the potential role of nonconscious processes. Moreover, the validity of explicit measures is threatened if subjects do not possess an attitude prior to measurement, are unable to access an attitude in memory, or are unwilling to share that information (Dholakia & Morwitz, 2002; Dovidio & Fazio, 1992; Fazio, 1986; Fazio & Williams, 1986; Gur & Sackeim, 1979; Hawkins & Coney, 1981; Louie, Curren,
    [Show full text]
  • Reproducibility and Replicability in Science (2019)
    THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS This PDF is available at http://nap.edu/25303 SHARE Reproducibility and Replicability in Science (2019) DETAILS 218 pages | 6 x 9 | PAPERBACK ISBN 978-0-309-48616-3 | DOI 10.17226/25303 CONTRIBUTORS GET THIS BOOK Committee on Reproducibility and Replicability in Science; Committee on National Statistics; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Nuclear and Radiation Studies FIND RELATED TITLES Board; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics; Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics; Division on SUGGESTEDEngineering an CITATIONd Physical Sciences; Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, Nanadti oPnuabl lAicc Paodleicmyi;e Bso oafr Sd coienn Rcese, aErncghi nDeaetrain agn, da nIndf oMrmedaitcioinne; P20o1lic9y. Ranedp rGodloubcaibl ility aAnffda iRrse; pNliactaiobniliatyl Ainc aSdceiemnicees. oWf aSschieinngcteosn,, EDnCg:i nTeheer inNga,t iaonnda lM Aecdaidceinmeies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25303. Visit the National Academies Press at NAP.edu and login or register to get: – Access to free PDF downloads of thousands of scientific reports – 10% off the price of print titles – Email or social media notifications of new titles related to your interests – Special offers and discounts Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the National Academies Press. (Request Permission) Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this
    [Show full text]
  • The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
    The Department of Psychology THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM Report of the Review Committee March 2008 The Committee Susan Andersen New York University Anthony Greenwald University of Washington Michael McCloskey Johns Hopkins University Wolfgang Prinz Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Chaired by: Richard Shiffrin Indiana University Presented to Prof. Haim D. Rabinowitch, Rector TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 3 The Committee's Report 6 Introduction 7 Background 8 Departmental Quality 9 Challenges 17 Collaborative Opportunities 18 Recommendations 20 Implementing the Recommendations 23 Anticipated Benefits 25 Alternative Implementations 27 Teaching and Allocation of Faculty to Areas 28 Clinical Science 29 MA and PhD Degrees 30 Other Teaching Issues 31 Concluding Remarks 32 Acknowledgments 33 Appendices 34 A) Résumés of the Committee members 35 B) List of people who met with the Committee 48 C) Interdepartmental Collaborations 49 D) Report on facility developments in other Israeli universities. 50 E) Intercampus collaborations 51 F) Background material prepared by the Department of Psychology 52 (under separate cover – 2 reports) 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary of the External Review Committee for Psychology Richard Shiffrin, Chair; Susan Andersen, Tony Greenwald, Mike McCloskey, Wolfgang Prinz Psychology worldwide has become a laboratory-based natural science, and Psychology departments are increasingly located in the natural sciences Consistent with this trend, Psychology at Hebrew University has
    [Show full text]
  • Project Implicit
    Project Implicit (Send inquiries to [email protected] — A. G. Greenwald) Project Implicit blends basic research and educational outreach in a virtual laboratory at which visitors can examine their own hidden biases. Project Implicit is the product of research by three scientists whose work produced a new approach to understanding of attitudes, biases, and stereotypes. Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji have been conducting research on the hidden aspects of prejudice and stereotypes for the past twenty years. With Brian Nosek, their collaboration led to the opening of a website in 1998 to educate about and raise awareness of the phenomena of ordinary prejudice. The Project Implicit site (implicit.harvard.edu) has been functioning as a hands-on science museum exhibit, allowing web visitors to experience the manner in which human minds display the effects of stereotypic and prejudicial associations acquired from their socio-cultural environment. We provide here a brief overview of the site’s functioning. Facts about the Project Implicit web sites (a) Visitors have completed more than 3 million demonstration tests since 1998, currently averaging over 10,000 tests completed each week; (b) Web sites affiliated with Project Implicit have earned a variety of accolades, most notably a Webby Award in 2002; (c) Since its inception in 1998, Project Implicit has expanded from a single site with four demonstration tasks to multiple sites with capability for exploring more than a dozen different varieties of implicit bias as well as attitudes and beliefs toward social groups and politics; (d) The Project Implicit family of sites affords a unique opportunity for visitors on the web to try procedures that can reveal one’s own hidden biases.
    [Show full text]