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Are You a Pretty Unbiased Person? (1 Viewer)

Chu Gai

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Or do you think you've got a good handle on your biases and can control them? Head on over to https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ and click on Research. You'll have to log in but you'll get a chance to participate in an ongoing experiment(s) that investigate several aspects of our ability to control bias. Take it twice or three times. See how you do.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Took the race one. I scored an "No automatic preference between white and black". Good, because I know I don't have a conscious preference. Interesting test.
 

DaveF

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I tried the example Race test; I quit at the second "sorting" task of Good/Black America vs. Bad/White American. It made no sense to me what the purpose or value was. Perhaps the research section is more illuminating.

But based on the King of the Hill episode involving online prejudice testing, I'm assuming I'll be found to have a racially insensitive dog (or at least one who hates plumbers) :)
 

Jeff Gatie

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The purpose was to see if you hesitated or gave the wrong input when the "good" items were assigned to the same keys as a (negatively) biased race and vice versa. In other words, you would be showing a positive bias towards the black race if you consistently and quickly hit the right key when the key assignments were "Black/Good" and "White/Bad", yet hesitated a lot or got many wrong inputs when the assignments were "White/Good" and "Black/Bad".

I imagine the several trials were to establish a baseline and to get the muscle memory tuned to certain responses, which may or may not reveal anything, but help to keep the test sound.
 

Jay H

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Were they all the same tests? It seems you had a choice between a bunch of different ones, but by reading the replies in this thread, it sounds like it was the same test.

I am not an idiot test taker, I noticed they switched up the categories a bit and then switched the sides so I simply adjusted my fingers and train of thought and did that. It really had no bearing on my subconscious or not, because test taking isn't simply a matter of intelligence, it's a matter of being a good test taker. I did make a couple of dexterity mistakes because they switched the categories but I don't think I was associating any particular side. In fact, I thought some of those pictures were of Asians then stumbled wondering which category to select because they only had African or European...

Jay
 

Jeff Gatie

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I only took the first one, which was race. Was afraid to take the "Weapons" one because my tendency to equate "Desert Eagle .44" and "Barrett .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle" with happiness, flowers and mom's apple pie might skew the results really bad.
 

DaveF

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"The purpose was to see if you hesitated or gave the wrong input when the "good" items were assigned to the same keys as a (negatively) biased race and vice versa."

I guess I didn't get far enough, as I didn't see the combinations reverse. As it was, I was slow in processing what seemed orthogonal information and categories. I had to process whether the image was a person or a word and then according to race or value-judgement. And finally determine which side teh correct category was on, as it might have changed.

I should try this later when I've time to concentrate on it.
 

Christ Reynolds

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i did the first one at the time (the order is randomized) which was gay/straight preferences, and i had little to no preference either way. my actual sexuality is not so vague, though :)

i'm not sure how effective this test was, at least for me. i reduced the images into what key i should press, and it had nothing to do with the actual image itself.

CJ
 

Jason Harbaugh

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Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for Boxers compared to Briefs.

Well I could have told them that. :)
 

andrew markworthy

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I'm currently supervising a doctoral student who is using these sort of tests. They can reveal some v. interesting hidden prejudices in people.
 

Chuck Mayer

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I'd like to keep my hidden biases hidden :) Like every human on the planet, I am a product of my environment, with all the baggage that comes with it. The challenge is in ignoring subconscious biases (that we all have) and being open anyway. I would be interested in the results, but don't want to register :)
 

Holadem

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Another interesting psych phenomenon is that no one will admit their biases over anything more serious than boxers and briefs.

Ever.

So we're bound to have a thread full of folk proudly proclaiming their complete lack of biases. I've always known that HTF:AHL featured but the finest specimen of the human race ;).

--
H
 

Lew Crippen

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Now this is very interesting. I took the Religion survey and found that I had a strong identification with Protestants as compared to Catholics.

Since I was raised as a Presbyterian, the results seem valid.

Andrew, I’d be very interested in your comments as to the validity of the methodology.
 

Todd K

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It said I had a preference for white americans vs. black americans. But I have a few problems with this test. As said above, it all depends if you were a good test taker. For example, does everyone get the "good" and "white" combo presented to them first? If it had given me "black" and "good" first, I'm sure I would've hesistated when the switch was made. It was hard to readjust my brain as to which was on the left and which was on the right.

And I don't think it highlighted an actual predjudice against black people -- if anything it just shows that people tend to have a preference for those "like them" as opposed to those "not like them."

I'm guessing the only reason it says most americans are scoring white people above blacks is because white people simply outnumber the blacks. I'm sure if your sample group had equal numbers of whites and blacks, the test would be inconclusive.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Andrew, quick question. If you looked at the "Race" test, you may find, as I did, that the faces depicted were slightly biased themselves. In one group, I found they were fairly benevolent vs. the other group I considered them leaning towards the threatening. As an example (not relating to this specific case) if the "white" group depicted faces that all had the look of (specifically) Charles Manson or (generally) a cold hard stare, while the "black" group depicted a Sidney Portier like face or a peaceful Rastafarian; could the test be viewed as skewed from the start? To state it another way, if the first group had a bunch of manly, swashbuckling hockey players beating each other to a pulp and the second group had shorts wearing soccer players scissoring their legs on the ground, I know my results would be skewed (and if it were my test, this is just how I'd want the results:laugh:). If you view the sample race test, I think you will know of what I speak.

Either that or my external bias against pre-determined conclusions driving testing methods and results may be skewing my own view, I'll admit the possibility. ;)

Edit: PS - As far as your spoiler is concerned, I can relate to your stated example whole heartedly. Afterall, I come from Boston.
 

Jeff Savage

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I have not done any of the other tests other then the first random one that came up after I registered. Apparently I have a slight preference to Burger King over McDonalds.

I actually like Wendy's.

Laters,
Jeff
 

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