JAO Colloquium

Title: Unconscious Bias

– Abstract: Around 99% of the information processed by our brain happens unconsciously, leaving space for unconscious bias to affect our decisions. When making a decision, it’s human nature to look for anything that supports what we already believe, or notice something we hope to find, or that feels comfortable. This means that anything different, or anything that goes against our existing beliefs is either ignored or strengthens a negative bias. This dangerous habit of selective thinking means we never see the full picture; which is why we need to train our minds to look at things differently.

In this workshop, we will talk about the different types of unconscious bias and how they can have an effect on diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We will provide some examples of how hiring, evaluation, and promotion are affected by unconscious bias in the scientific community. We will discuss a couple of little exercises to get you thinking about your potential unconscious biases and we will finish by providing some tips of how to create positive change in our scientific community.