The Bias Awareness Scale

Originally published by Douglas Keene.

Here’s a new way to measure our awareness of our own biases in four easy questions. Yes. Four. We are constantly writing about bias here and when we see ways to measure bias it is usually convoluted or prohibitively expensive, or contains language not suitable for courtroom use. This scale, however, is different—it is short (four questions) and as it happens, being aware of your own biases leaves you better equipped to respond to what the authors call “contemporary race challenges”.

Essentially, the researchers say that “modern racism” is a form of racism that has largely gone underground. Many of us “think” we are not racist, but, in truth, most of us do harbor at least some racist thoughts and beliefs. The researchers reference the idea of being “colorblind” to race and say that strategy simply doesn’t work. Our society is such that, subtle but racially charged/biased statements are all around us and if we are “colorblind” we will not “see” or “hear” those subtly biased statements. The “blindness” is with regard to awareness of our own biases, not to their existence. According to this research, “accepting” our racial bias is a key factor in being aware of and working toward change in racial bias around us.

So. Without further ado, the researchers gathered 902 participants across three separate studies and had them complete a range of other psychological tests and this new 4-question measure of bias awareness. We know you want the questions so here they are!

Even though I know it’s not appropriate, I sometimes feel that I hold unconscious negative attitudes toward Blacks.

When talking to Black people, I sometimes worry that I am unintentionally acting in a prejudiced way.

Even though I like Black people, I still worry that I have unconscious biases toward Blacks.

I never worry that I may be acting in a subtly prejudiced way toward Blacks (reverse scored).

The questions are placed on 7-point scales anchored with strongly disagree (1) and strongly agree (7). The higher the cumulative score on the four questions, the more the individual is aware of their racial biases. Based on their findings, the researchers believe that bias feedback will be more useful to those who are aware of their racial biases (as measured with the Bias Awareness Scale).

That is, those participants with higher scores on the scale are receptive to the feedback and work to modify/monitor their behaviors and emotions. They were also more likely to perceive acts of subtle bias as racial discrimination.

Those that are unaware of their own biases tend to become defensive and reject the feedback that they have biases—and their behaviors and emotions remain the same.

From a litigation advocacy perspective, this is a tricky one. Unless your case facts lend themselves to concern about racial bias, it would be hard to get these questions admitted for a supplemental jury questionnaire. They are especially suitable for trials related to allegations of hate crimes, use of deadly force or undue force against Black subjects, employment discrimination, and related disputes. These are such brief questions though that it would be curious to see how everyday (randomly selected) mock jurors would respond to them and if their responses are somehow related to eventual verdict on the case. This scale is not one we can use immediately but it is one that could have some utility. We’ll be pondering this one.

Perry, S., Murphy, M., & Dovidio, J. (2015). Modern prejudice: Subtle, but unconscious? The role of Bias Awareness in Whites’ perceptions of personal and others’ biases Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 61, 64-78 DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.06.007

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Related posts:

1. The Bias Blind Spot Scale 
2. Is racial bias fueling anti-Obama rhetoric?
3. The Islamophobia Scale: Measuring our fear of Muslims

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