Many of you probably will immediately answer, “No,” as I have. It is often difficult to fathom that we have biases and prejudices because we have fought so hard all our lives against them. But sometimes, the effects are so subtle, that they go unnoticed. Sam Yoon compares this to a medical condition he suffers from, which creates a blind spot in his eyes. The only way to tell whether the blind spot exists is for him to take a special exam.
Thankfully, social psychologist Anthony Greenwald developed the Implicit Association Test to explore the group-based preferences and stereotypes that may not be accessible to our conscious awareness. And it doesn’t require a visit to the doctor’s office. You can complete the test in front of your computer in less than 10 minutes.
We invite you to test your own thoughts and feelings that exist outside of your conscious awareness or conscious control. Are you suffering from a blind spot? Sam and I were surprised with our own results. After taking the test, please share your thoughts at KALCA’s facebook page. In order to share your experience, we advise that you at least complete the “Asian-IAT” test. Discuss the results. We look forward to hearing from you.
On behalf of The Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Institute for the Advanced Study of Law & Justice, you are cordially invited to attend a lecture, part of The Straus Public Lectures Series:
“The Grand Challenges of Implicit Social Cognition and the Law”
presented by
Jerry Kang Straus Fellow, David M. Friedman Fellow, NYU School of Law; Professor of Law and Asian American Studies (by courtesy), UCLA _________________________________ Date:Tuesday, February 11th, 2014
Lecture Synopsis:Recent findings in experimental social psychology have demonstrated the existence of “implicit biases”–attitudes and stereotypes that we are neither aware of nor necessarily endorse. Social scientists have also discovered “stereotype threat”–that negative stereotypes can undermine performance when an individual believes that by doing poorly she will confirm those very stereotypes about the groups to which she belongs. In this talk, Professor Jerry Kang will survey the science of implicit biases and stereotype threat with emphasis on real-world consequences. Then, he will explore their implications for law, policy, and legal theory. Along the way, Prof. Kang will outline what he sees as the field’s “Grand Challenges” for the next quarter century.
The lecture is open to the public; please feel free to spread the word about the event.