Implicit Association Test (AIT) is a common technique used to determine the implicit attitude and beliefs. Two tests, one on Race AIT and the other on Gender-Career AIT. The Racial bias test examined an individual’s ability to distinguish the faces of individuals with European and African origin as a way of determining preferences for black or white people. In the other study about Gender bias, an experiment is conducted to investigate the popular link between female and family, and male and career. The outcomes of the tests are dependent on the selection made, as well as the speed of selection.
The outcome of the first experiment on racial bias suggests that I have an automatic slight preference for White people over Black people. The results were based on how fast I responded when Black people and good were assigned in the same category as compared to when White and good were grouped in one section. The other experiment suggests that I have a strong automatic association for the male with career and female with family. While the outcome of racial bias was surprising, the Gender bias results were relatable. In my opinion, I tend to have a slight preference for black people and not white people. As for the Gender bias experiment, by association for males with career and female with family is not strong, but not slight. Therefore, the outcome of the study does not give a clear picture of my personality.
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Causes of Prejudicial Attitudes and Discriminatory Behavior
The categorization of people into groups inevitably results in the development of a universal syndrome of ethnocentrism, where an individual is attached to a group has possessed most their quality while prejudicing other groups (Whitley & Kite, 2016). An individual’s positivity towards one’s group can arise from the mere perception of group differentiation. In most instances, identifying with on group generations a motivational tendency to positively differentiate from other groups through bias, favoritism, and discrimination (Whitley & Kite, 2016). Other factors contributing towards the development of a strong preference towards one race as compared to the other is inequality, and intergroup threat, among the white and the black. Currently, in the United States, there is a huge economic disparity between whites and blacks. The lack of equality in earnings and living standards are mainly as a result of the historical injustices suffered by the African-American group in the past (Pettigrew, 2008). Also, most white people tend to feel threatened by the idea of African-American acquiring similar social, political, and economic positions in society. Furthermore, the historical conflicts between racial groups result in the development of traits of discrimination, hatred, and resentment for the different group. People, therefore, develop a prejudicial attitude as a way of adapting to societal practices. Therefore, the fact that white people have an unfair edge in society when compared to black Americans leads to the slight preference of black people over white people.
The slight bias of male over female in career is mainly as a result of cultural and societal bias. The bias is as a result of role incongruity as prescribed by societal practices (Cohrs & Dickitt, 2011). The society, in the past, had separated roles and responsibility between women and men, and only a few are shared. Career and role of providing for the family are predominantly prescribed on males according to previous. Therefore, the decision by women to take up previously all-males roles is not appealing to many people (Cohrs & Duckitt, 2011). Besides, given the historical interference of most women’s effort in pursuing a career has left most of them not successful in their career path. Therefore, the generalization that women are more inclined to starting and keeping a family is partly based on the fact that more women in the society, as compared to men, who mainly focus on career development.
References
Cohrs, J. C., & Duckitt, J. (2011). Prejudice, types and origins of. The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology .
Pettigrew, T. F. (2008). Intergroup prejudice: Its causes and cures. Actualidades en Psicología , 22 (109), 115-124.
Whitley Jr, B. E., & Kite, M. E. (2016). Psychology of prejudice and discrimination . Routledge.
