Lecture Notes: Opinion Science Podcast on Prejudice and Racism

Introduction

• Discussion on changes in racial attitudes over decades, citing a 1958 and a 2021 Gallup poll on interracial marriage.
• Acknowledgment of improvements in racial equality, but exploration of persistent biases.

Historical Context

• Gordon Allport's "The Nature of Prejudice" (1954):
  • Considered groundbreaking in the study of racism and prejudice.
  • Relevant today due to ongoing issues with bias despite changes in expressed attitudes.

Modern-Day Bias Experiment

• eBay Baseball Card Experiment:
  • Method: Economists sold cards using different racial identities in photos.
  • Findings: Cards held by Black hands sold for less.

Aversive Racism

• Concept Introduction:
  • Originated in the 1970s by Sam Gaertner and Jack Dovidio.
  • Describes people who consciously believe they are non-prejudiced but show subtle biases.
• Key Characteristics:
  • Implicit biases exist even in those who express non-prejudice explicitly.
  • Biases often emerge in ambiguous situations where norms are not clear.

The Development of Implicit Bias Measures

• Evolution from early attitude studies to the adoption of Implicit Association Test (IAT).
• Acknowledgment of implicit biases being rooted in normal psychological processes.

Applications in Medical Contexts

• Racial Bias in Healthcare: Study Findings
  • Implicit biases affect doctor-patient interactions, particularly with Black patients.
  • Trust issues arise when implicit and explicit biases are inconsistent.
  • Study: Doctors' implicit biases predict non-verbal communication affecting patient trust.

Combatting Implicit Bias

• Strategies and Approaches:
  • Focus on common identity and common goals to reduce bias.
  • Emphasizing shared team concepts in healthcare to improve trust and cooperation.

Reflections and Conclusions

• Acknowledges the persistence of aversive racism and the need for continued study.
• Encourages proactive strategies for reducing bias through team-based approaches.

Upcoming Podcast Content

• Announcement of a special podcast series on the intersection of psychology and economics.