...Hiring Bias When Finding the Right Fit March 31, 2014 You’ve just sat down with the next candidate for an open position at your company. The two of you get along right away and it turns out you have a lot in common. The more you talk, the more this candidate reminds you of yourself or someone you really like. You can easily imagine yourself spending time with this person after work. In fact, this candidate starts to remind you of a good friend –one you would like to hire. Most likely, you believe you’ve made a confident hiring decision based on objective criteria. Chances are, much of your decision was based on subjective factors. A study published in the American Sociological Review indicated that interviewers typically hire candidates they like. Who interviewers like is largely determined by perceived similarity between themselves and candidates. According to research by The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, the 2014 Implicit Bias Review suggests that such perceptions are often driven by implicit bias, “attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.” You may try to rationalize your decision not to hire a specific candidate by saying that he or she wasn’t the right fit. But when the right fit is determined by implicit bias, you may end up discriminating against some candidates. Even though you may interview candidates who are qualified and present themselves well, you might still perceive them in...
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...Eliminating Bias People make decisions everyday in favor of one group, and to the detriment of others, without even realizing it. This prejudice or favoritism is bias. Biases affect not only our judgment but also our behavior, beliefs, and perception. Biases are selective, learned, culturally determined and can be inaccurate. Biased thinking leads to misunderstanding, wrong decisions, and to costly consequences. Bias can prove very destructive and is the foundation of stereotypes, prejudice and, ultimately, discrimination. A stereotype is an exaggerated belief, image or distorted truth about a person or group — a generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation. A prejudice is an opinion, prejudgment or attitude about a group or its individual members. Prejudices are often accompanied by ignorance, fear or hatred. Prejudice begins with attachment to a close circle of acquaintances or an "in-group" such as a family and is often aimed at "out-groups." Discrimination is behavior that treats people unequally because of their group memberships and often begins with negative stereotypes and prejudices. Once learned, stereotypes and prejudices resist change, even when evidence fails to support them or points to the contrary. (Willoughby, 2007) When I think of bias I think of blatant ways that it manifests itself, but bias can be so subtle that it is hidden and hard to spot. If I change my conscious attitudes and...
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...Racial Bias in Therapy: How to ethically treat all cultures Heather Worthey Liberty University Abstract Despite how technologically advanced the United States is, the United States has a long way to go when it comes to bias. Racial bias is alive and thriving today. One's skin color does not make them less or more of a person, but some still hold onto the hatred they have for others. Some racial bias is conscious in the words and language used. Racial bias can be placed on others unintentionally by our thoughts and actions. As counselors, we have to be able to keep our bias in check. Having bias in therapy can be detrimental to our clients and to us professionally. When we let our biases cloud our judgment, we may look negatively on others when she should be trying to help them instead. Letting our biases be part of therapy can also set us up for ethical violations which could endanger our licensure. It is important that helping professionals take the time to educate themselves on racial bias and make the efforts to not let bias effect their clients and the therapy sessions. As counselors, one will interact with many different people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Counseling is no exception to the cycles of racism, despite the education and intentions of therapists who would like to think they would never deliberately act in a racist manner toward any of their clients. Unfortunately, even when a therapist has received multicultural training, racism...
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...Name: Hasham Tariq Reg no: 12882 Subject: Research Proposal 1 (Rp1) Class: Tuesday 6 to 9 Assignment: Abstract/References of 10 research papers (Motivation/Discrimination) Submitted to: Dr Akif Hussain / Dr Imtiaz Subhani 1. When Searching Hurts: The Role of Information Search in Reactions to Gender Discrimination Abstract Two laboratory studies conducted with Dutch students explored women’s motivation to search for evidence of gender discrimination and its effects on psychological well-being. Study 1 (N = 161) considered situational self-relevance of one’s personal outcomes (personal failure or success) on women’s motivation to collect information about gender discrimination. Study 2 (N = 106) manipulated information search and studied its effects on well-being when information contains evidence of gender discrimination or personal failure. Results revealed that women are motivated to search for evidence of discrimination when outcomes are highly self-relevant (Study 1) or the need to search is high (Study 2). Furthermore women suffer from evidence of prejudice, but only when they are personally affected by this prejudice and evidence suggests it is pervasive. References -When Searching Hurts: The Role of Information Search in Reactions to Gender Discrimination Katherine Stroebe, Manuela Barreto and Naomi Ellemers SEX ROLES, Volume 62, Numbers 1-2 (2010), 60-76, DOI: 10.1007/s11199-009-9700-y Published online: 24 September 2009 # Springer Science...
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...did she find in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology? Ms. Kelly found that the channel of Personality and Social Psychology have an article based on implicit association test what show that 70 percent of the people who took this test black and white Harbor and unconscious preference for white over black people 3) What did the University of Washington find out about the IAT test? The University of Washington also found that the IAT showed 70 percent of the people who took the IAT unconsciously preferred white people to black people 4) Explain how the IAT test works and what does it measure? The IAT is given by computer shows pictures of black and white faces and ask you to connect them to positive and or negative words the IAT measures the speed in which you make word association to the pictures 5) What does Ms. Kelly say about racism and unconscious bias? Ms. Kelly states that racism and unconscious bias is amongst African Americans and Caucasian; most of us stereotype and are judgmental by nature. One line that stood out to me personally was Ms. Kelly recognizing that stereotyping was done to the point where it happens not in our conscience mind, but our operating system. We are programmed this way. Is it cultures fault? 6) What does Prof. Anthony Greenwald say about unconscious bias? The lead researcher on the study of (Awareness can help to overcome this unwanted influence) explained how when you are unaware of attitudes or stereotypes, they...
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...positive working relationships Gate keeping L.T.S. advantage of working in a team Extends available expertise I.U.C Which is beneficial to teams? Synergy I.U.C unit cohesion is direct result of goals T.D.M.a.C.M group dysfunctional point leading to premature consensus groupthink T.D.M.a.C.M 2 types of conflict: Cognitive and __________ mixed motive L.T.S Disruptive to a team Word machine L.T.S. unit is leaderless work with team to designate leader/ N.D.i.T US military in future operations Coalition N.D.i.T ensures members will protect the interest Mutual trust T.S.a.C. other people are just like me Mirror Image Fallacy T.S.a.C. individuals from a specific group are all alike Stereotyping error N.D.i.T Americans value above precision...
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...As a manager in any organization or institution you are faced with many task and responsibilities. Managers must be equipped with both technical and interpersonal skills in order to thrive in today’s business world. These skills include leadership, motivation, team work, conflict-resolution abilities and an understanding of diversity and diversity management. Today’s work population is constantly changing; we encounter different people from all walks of life. As a result there is more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. Maximizing and capitalizing on workplace diversity has become an important issue in the field of management. According to some experts “Diversity can have two competing perspectives. The first perspective embraces the “information value of diversity” and the importance of “celebrating our differences”. The second perspective believes that diversity contributes to conflict because “similarity attracts” and therefore, it is best not to draw attention to diversity and instead emphasize that as human beings our commonalities far outweigh our differences. The first perspective argues for customization, while the second advocates for homogenization. Whatever your perspective, the facts remain the same; today’s work population is changing and with any change comes both challenges and opportunities for organizations and their leaders. Diversity Management is a combination of programs, policies and...
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...America, but the majority of Americans will most likely agree that most people have abandoned racism. In fact, 1 in every 5 couples in the US will be interracial. Yet, despite popular belief, racism is still very prominent in America, especially within the media. The media has the power to influence the minds of many unsuspecting viewers. In recent years, the media has used its control over the American mentality to diminish the black culture by portraying African Americans on the news or on general television as various forms of degenerates such as thugs and criminals. This negative image of minorities created within production has...
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...Running head: SUBTLE BIAS SHARED WITHIN AN AMERICAN SOCIAL CONSTRUCT Subtle Bias as a Social Construct In America May 28, 2012 Abstract An understanding of the subtle bias that affects our society is a form of humanistic deception. Although the norms in America appear to be uniform; we will see that biases are influenced by various social factors such as stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, and labeling including the Attribution Theory. This paper will compare and contrast scientific literature to gain more insight into the subtlety of this social construct. I am seeking not to understand the reason why we as social beings are bias, but to simply show that this distorted truth exist. Subtle Bias as a Social Construct In America My theory of unconscious bias along with the self-affirmation process that accompanies it clouds our worldview in our present society. We all do it no matter how accepting we appear to be or even claim to be. Irrational thoughts are usually based on a worldview that illustrates our interpretation of the world we live in (Wilson, 2001). This worldview is a set of assumptions and beliefs that we hold on to that guide our behavior. It helps us to make sense out of our lives. It determines what we think about human nature, causes of emotional issues, and where bias comes from (Entwistle, 2004). There is always some form of discriminatory behavior or covert prejudice prevailing within our essence. Unfortunately, there is a strong manipulative...
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...The New York Times and Al Jazeera: How Culture and Location Affect News By (Student’s name) (Instructor’s name with Title) English 102H Date: Outline I. Introduction A. This section briefly examines the delicate situation that Al Jazeera finds itself in: As the first and largest independent Arabic satellite station, Al Jazeera has had to face endless critics most of whom are from the West for its Arabic sentiments. Despite all accusations, the station has only grown in popularity in the Middle East and among Arabs around the world. B. While Western countries such as the US and Russia have expressed their reservations about the objectivity of the station, its audiences has only been growing especially among Arabs. Its stance on popularizing Arabic sentiments may be due to its location and the cultural beliefs of its target audience, reporters and owners. Thesis Statement: Using Al Jazeera and the New York Times as primary cases, this paper explores how the location of a media outlet and culture of its primary employees and target audience can affect the ways in which news items are reported. As it was briefly discussed, Al Jazeera’s primary reporting obligations may possibly be to protect the interests of its region and culture. This paper explains how and why media outlets may, perhaps unwillingly, take stances on many matters just because of their locations and cultures. II. Body Paragraphs A. Al Jazeera and...
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...behaviour to help us stop the problem. In his study he found that we have better recognition and faster processing of ingroup faces than out-group faces using fMRI technology. He also has learned that the amygdala is key in prejudice because it is the brain cortex used in arousal. The study shows that the amygdala shows greater startle activity when seeing Asian or African-American faces than white faces. Amodio says that these prejudices and stereotypes are generated unconsciously. They are formed by exposure to these groups in typically negative contexts. These prejudices and stereotypes are very difficult to stop once they are formed and that is what psychologists are trying to figure...
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...Exacerbating this problem, is civilian employers’ utilization of deficient hiring and employment practices. In particular, employers have developed a sense of fear and uncertainty about PTSD. These perceptions often prove to be a reason why employers choose not to select veteran candidates for employment. Additionally, organizations fail to successfully acclimate and socialize new veteran employees (who do or may suffer from PTSD) into the organization’s culture. Such failures can lead veteran employees to quit their job. Together, the deficient hiring and employment practices displayed towards former service members have significant ethical implications that serve as the catalyst for high unemployment rates for the veteran population. To minimize these implications and to improve veteran employment opportunities, organizations’ human resources (HR) departments must develop and incorporate new approaches to hiring and employing veterans who do or may suffer from PTSD. Keywords: PTSD, invisible disability, human resources, implicit bias Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Unethical Business Practices and their Influence on Veteran Unemployment Since the onset of World War II, United States military veterans have been plagued by high unemployment rates. Prima facie, many may assume that such high rates seem counterintuitive, considering the wide variety of skills and capabilities military veterans have attained during their time in the...
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...homosexuality, gender status among native American Indian men in the southwest by Gutierrez and I know what I am by Valentine one is struck by the apparent differences that both authors have on multiple levels despite their agreement on gender identity as a product of society and culture. Through discrepancies in tone and evidence selection light can be shed on these aforementioned points of contestation. Gutierrez’s main point of: “Gender is a role not a status” (Gutierrez pg 29) Permeates his argument in a strong tonal sense through its fatalistic and impersonal attributes. In presenting the Berdache as defeated warriors enslaved to serve the economic and sexual needs of Native American men living segregated from women(Gutierrez 27), Gutierrez’s tone acquires a causational dimension where stated evidence is deemed irrevocably responsible of the gender role of the Berdache. Notably through the usage of visual representations of Berdache men in ritualistic dances with red paint in between their thighs used as irrefutable proof of Berdache subservience through male rape when others have postulated it could have simulated female menstruation given the Berdache’s mandated feminine appearance (Gutierrez 27). While tonally evocative of the hallmarks of an anthropologist sure of his field, to take such a tone especially when Gutierrez hints at his piece being a reaction to recent revisionist works on Berdache denotes an agenda and by association a bias(Gutierrez 19) In contrast the...
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...growing concern throughout the years for many Americans. Jury nullification is a constitutional doctrine that allows juries to acquit guilty defendants but who do not deserve punishment. Many believe that when this sort of action takes place the jury racially identify with the criminal defendant. There have been several cases for an example: the O.J Simpson case or the police officers in the Rodney King beating. The evidence was visible, but the verdict was not guilty. This paper includes how and if ethnicity influences courtroom proceedings and judicial practices, arguments against ethnicity-based jury nullification, contemporary examples of ethnicity based-jury nullification, and by choosing a position for or against ethnicity-based jury nullification. Ethnicity Influences and Judicial Practices There have been plenty of attempts to advance equal justice in the United States (Ward, Farrell, & Rousseau, 2009). In the criminal justice administration disparity still remains a concern. Criminal justice research on sentencing has found disparity based on defendant characteristics as gender, race, and class. There have been two changes by many individuals to secure equal justice in the court system. Implementations of sentencing guidelines, reduce bias, and increased racial and ethnic group representation among arbiters of justice (Ward, Farrell, & Rousseau, 2009). This may diversify the pool of explicit and implicit bias that will reduce White advantages. Racial...
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...The Bias Challenge Anyone who is interested attaining a better personal understanding about their personal bias should take part in a bias challenge. These challenges can be attempted if you are curious to see if you have any bias or to take a closer look at your bias and see how they could be based on your personal inherent beliefs that are influenced by your culture. No matter which culture you are associated with, there is a hierarchy scale when it comes to ethnicity. Within that hierarchy scale, it can be observed that certain groups have privilege but those same privileged groups do not have that same internal perceptual view of themselves. For example, Caucasians are view as being high on the hierarchy scale while Latino Americans are low on that same scale. Unfortunately, Caucasians do not perceived themselves to be any more privileged than the next person. Could the reason be due to never experiencing the same transgressions that lower ethnic groups on the hierarchy scale have been subjected too? In order to answer that, I had to ask that question to myself. Surprisingly the answer did not immediately come to mind. One would think that if you ask yourself if you have any bias towards other ethnic groups, you would immediately answer a resounding “NO!”. While I did not think that I did, I could never be sure because I had never experience any sort of bias growing up. As a Canadian, I was surrounded by a society that was considered to be that of a collectivism...
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