Common Reading Research Guide 2020-21

It’s hard to talk about race. And accurately measuring racial attitudes is challenging. Pew Research Center conducted an Implicit Association Test (IAT), a technique that psychologists say measures subconscious or “hidden” bias by tracking how quickly individuals associate good and bad words with specific racial groups.

A 2019 report by Harvard researchers looks at 4.4 million implicit bias tests to see how people's attitudes about certain characteristics (like race, sexuality, age, etc.) have changed over time.

Are racists born or made? Pioneering scientists have recently revealed that they can detect whether a person is subconsciously racist through a series of tests that are as ground-breaking as they are simple to do. This fascinating and revealing documentary showcases the latest scientific developments that can detect, measure, and change racist impulses in the brain.

Since the dawn of time, humans have tended to form clans, thereby excluding strangers, enemies, and anyone who is different. We may not exactly encourage them, but such attitudes become entrenched at a very early age. Radio-Canada followed an experiment in a primary school that shows just how quickly our young people can assimilate discrimination and all its dangerous repercussions.

Although overt race discrimination has greatly declined in America, recent research has revealed that various biases exist in "implicit" forms that operate outside of awareness. Many earnestly egalitarian Americans remain unaware that any dilemma still exists. It is therefore not surprising that many assume America is "post-racial." Yet, implicit biases have been found based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and age. In addition to describing the basic findings that underlie this new science of discrimination, Dr. Greenwald demonstrates the implicit association test (IAT).

Part of UCLA's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion project, this page features a series of videos on implicit bias as well as some TED talks and other resources.

PBS videos examining implicit bias.

After years of campus diversity programs and initiatives, discussions about race remain confused and inadequate in addressing racism. Over the course of a 16-week program, a group of University of California, Berkeley students discuss such issues as underrepresentation, the limitations of multiculturalism, social equity, affirmative action, and their own responsibilities for making a difference.