Summary
Highlights
Scientists theorize that the conscious components of the human brain can process 40 frames of information per second, while the unconscious components process 1.2 million frames. Many scientists believe this unconscious background process drives our decision-making, with conscious thought often serving to rationalize choices already made. This suggests that our perceived control over our brains and decisions, especially regarding fairness, might be limited, leading to surprising and sometimes unfair outcomes, even for those who value fairness most.
Decision-making starts with data collection and memory. An experiment with Harvard undergraduates demonstrated implicit bias based on a name. Students conversed via email with an 'Asian American woman named Amy Chin.' When given the email address 'Amy,' they recalled her math score as lower and verbal score as higher than what was stated. Conversely, with the email address 'Chen,' they remembered her math score higher and verbal score lower. This shows how unconscious biases can affect memory and perception at the initial stage of information processing.
The amygdala, the brain region associated with fear and distrust, lights up when presented with certain faces. Studies showed higher amygdala activation for Black men's faces compared to White men's faces in some groups. This is a learned behavior, not innate, meaning it can be unlearned. The level of amygdala activation correlated with scores on the Implicit Association Test (IAT), suggesting that implicit bias is measurable and linked to physiological responses. Further research identified facial features (forehead size, cheekbones, chin, nasal indentation) that unconsciously influence perceptions of trustworthiness, unbeknownst to the observer.
Two brain parts, the caudate and putamen, are involved in processing voices and encoding individuals as fully human. To be seen as human, a person must be perceived as both smart/competent (caudate) and nice/warm (putamen). A study analyzing reactions to different accents (Anglo-American, British, Cantonese, Spanish from Mexico) showed that the Spanish speaker consistently ranked last in both 'nice' and 'smart' categories. This dehumanization, or failure to fully encode as human, can lead to decreased empathy and unequal resource allocation. This bias begins as early as nine years old, with children showing preferences and assigning intelligence based on regional accents.
Neuroscience not only identifies the problem of implicit bias but also offers solutions. The 'shoot/no-shoot' test revealed biases, where participants were more likely to 'shoot' an unarmed Black man than an armed White man. Scientists discovered that activating the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (RACC), a part of the brain responsible for good performance on such tests, could lead to more accurate and fair decisions. This activation occurred simply by informing participants they would be monitored for race-related bias, demonstrating that self-monitoring can prompt conscious control over implicit biases. Papillon concludes that both individual self-monitoring and systemic examination of decision-making are crucial to address implicit bias in areas like hiring, medical treatment, and education.