Unconscious Bias & Mitigation Flashcards

Which of the following is a key limitation of one-time unconscious bias training programs?

Answer: Awareness gains tend to fade without ongoing reinforcement and systemic changes

Research shows awareness from a single training fades quickly unless it is coupled with structural changes and repeated reinforcement.

The 'attribution error' form of bias most commonly affects performance evaluations when:

Answer: Managers attribute a majority employee's failure to external circumstances but a minority employee's failure to internal traits

Fundamental attribution error manifests as a double standard: excusing in-group members while blaming out-group members for the same failures.

According to the IAT (Implicit Association Test), what does a strong implicit association primarily indicate?

Answer: The speed and ease with which a person mentally connects two concepts, suggesting unconscious preference

The IAT measures the speed of mental associations, indicating implicit preferences or biases that may operate below conscious awareness.

Which organizational practice is considered a HIGH-impact structural intervention for reducing bias in promotions?

Answer: Requiring diverse slates of candidates for all promotion decisions

Diverse candidate slates ensure decision-makers consider a range of candidates and are not influenced by familiarity or affinity bias.

In bias mitigation, 'accountability mechanisms' most commonly refer to:

Answer: Tracking diversity metrics and tying leadership evaluations to progress

Accountability mechanisms connect diversity outcomes to performance reviews and compensation, creating incentives for sustained behavior change.

Which scenario BEST illustrates the 'beauty bias' form of unconscious bias?

Answer: Rating physically attractive candidates as more competent, trustworthy, and promotable

Beauty bias (also called the 'halo of attractiveness') causes evaluators to attribute positive traits like competence to physically attractive individuals.

A diversity professional wants to assess whether bias affects promotion rates across demographic groups. The MOST rigorous approach would be to:

Answer: Analyze promotion rate data disaggregated by race, gender, and other demographics over multiple years

Disaggregated longitudinal promotion data reveals systemic patterns that perception surveys and qualitative data alone cannot expose.