How Bias Works

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How does racial prejudice affect what we see, think, and do?

Unconscious bias operates in subtle ways, but its effects are profound. Behind the racial disparities evident everywhere from the classroom to the courtroom to the boardroom lie implicit assumptions of which we often aren’t even aware. Prejudice forms a distorting lens that is both a cause and an effect of our unequal world, and working to overcome it means confronting our own patterns of thinking – what sorts of stereotypes have we internalised, and what harms do they cause?

Drawing on scientific studies, investigative insights and personal experience, renowned psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt explores the far-reaching and devastating consequences of racial bias. Such bias is not an innate and inevitable evil, she argues, but a universal human problem to be addressed. By acknowledging sometimes uncomfortable truths about how we perceive the world and each other, we can make real progress towards racial justice.