City of Columbus

Implicit Bias

What IS Implicit Bias? We all have biases! Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. They are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. Biases reside deep in the subconscious, and cause us to have feelings and attitudes about other people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance. They are automatically activated, associative in nature, can be formed through repeated exposure or experiences. These associations develop over the course of a lifetime beginning at a very early age through exposure to direct and indirect messages. In addition to early life experiences, the media and news programming are often-cited origins of implicit associations. This interactive course explores types of implicit biases, understanding them, what effects they can cause and how to address them.

*Contact a CTD team member to find out when this course will be offered next.