Hello everyone recently I participated in a regional science fair where I discussed implicit bias on a neurological level. I ended up placing second in the health and sciences category.
Last month I started to tell you about Heuristics but it is a long topic so I decided to split the column into two and here is part 2.
THE IMPACT ON PEOPLE
Heuristics can cause people to judge a group of people based on the stereotypes surrounding them rather than using actual evidence. People assume that if an individual shares characteristics with an image of a group (race, gender) they share all traits of that group. This not only reinforces prejudice but preserves stereotypes and allows for the continuation of systematic discrimination in society. Some examples of a result of these stereotypes can be seen in law enforcement, in court cases, a jury might base their judgment upon how well the accused matches their personal profile of a guilty person, rather than accessing the evidence. Even with officers they may focus more on the people of color in a list of suspects because their prejudice and preconceived notions about that group tells them that they are more likely to commit those crimes.
A study involving white lay adults found they were significantly more likely to convict a Black defendant (90%) than a white defendant (70%) when presented with the same evidence.
Black people are 7x more likely to be wrongly convicted. from the National Registry of Exonerations 2022 and 2024 reports.
GENDER HEURISTICS
People may overestimate how “emotional” women are or how “aggressive” men are because vivid, stereotype-consistent examples are more easily recalled from memory or media. Women are stereotyped as being warm but less competent, when women stray away from this stereotype and are more masculine and assertive they are labelled as bossy and aggressive for traits that would’ve been praised on a man. There is a common heuristic that once a woman reaches motherhood her value and commitment to the workforce decreases. In contrast fathers are labelled as more stable and responsible. Another common heuristic is that women are better at verbal related tasks but lack math and science. This discourages women who are looking to pursue a career in STEM. These gender heuristics can affect men as well, men are shown to be the givers and providers this heuristic makes men that are stay at home fathers or men that earn less than their spouse feel demasculinized and less capable. Men are also viewed as less nurturing which leads men who work in child care jobs or nursing roles receive backlash because they don’t fit the image of the ideal worker.
In 2024, full-time working mothers in the U.S. earned 35% less than full-time working fathers. Fathers often receive a 6% bump in pay per child.
EXAMPLES OF HEURISTICS IN A POPULAR SHOW (Brooklyn 99) For examples of using heuristics I chose to use a show called Brooklyn 99, a show about cops. Oftentimes they use their “gut feeling” but after listening to my presentation we know they are actually using heuristics. Here are some examples.
Season 4, Episode 16: “Moo Moo”
In this episode a white officer stops Terry, an officer who is off duty and using Representativeness Heuristic he categorizes Terry as dangerous instead of a neighbor or officer because he is a rather large black man in the dark. This highlights what I was talking about earlier on systemic discrimination. The officer later admits he stopped Terry because he fit the profile showing us how system 1 thinking can override correct and actual evidence.
Season 1, Episode 7: “48 Hours”
Jake arrests a suspect based on a “feeling” (Representativeness Heuristic) because the guy “looked guilty” and acted like a “jerk.”
Because he relied on system 1 thinking instead of concrete evidence the team had 48 hours to find actual proof before they let him go. This episode shows the danger of impulsive thinking that Kahneman and Tversky warned about.
HOW CAN LEARNING ABOUT HEURISTICS HELP US
Knowing heuristics can help aid teachers in the classroom, teachers are likely to hold lower expectations of certain students based on their race or gender ex. Boys are better at science. When a teacher expects less the student performs worse this is called a self-fulfilling prophecy. When a teacher is aware of their own heuristic they can uplift all their students equally boosting their self esteem and confidence. Teachers also participate in representative heuristic thinking when a student walks in that is neat and well dressed they assume that the student is responsible, smart and capable. If there’s a student that’s messier, doesn’t dress very well and isn’t organized the teacher assumes he isn’t very smart. These assumptions can lead to biased grading. The messier student may score lower than the neat one simply because they don’t fit the teacher’s idea of an intelligent student. The way teachers can work to stop this is by folding the name backs on the test in order to ensure they’re grading the test and not the student. Parents can also benefit from heuristics especially when it comes to dealing with neurodiverse children. By learning about heuristics parents can break their mental image of what a successful child looks and understand that their kid is just as brilliant and can help them encourage and foster their creative mind.
CONCLUSION
Heuristics is a quick way of thinking that can cause bias and systemic discrimination but if we teach more people about it we can help break down those biases and aid in cultivating the minds of our youth. In conclusion, by moving from system 1 to system 2 thinking we can challenge our bias and work together to create a more equitable society.
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