“Ref bias” was recently shouted and broadcasted on social media by some University of Iowa fans after the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game. But what is bias? Bias is an attitude or assumption that affects the way one thinks or acts towards something or someone, often in an unfair or irrational way. Implicit bias (or unconscious bias) refers to attitudes and beliefs that appear outside your conscious awareness and control. In contrast, explicit biases are biases that you are aware of on a conscious level.
MasterClass’ article highlights how to identify 14 types of bias (confirmation bias, The Dunning-Kruger Effect, cultural bias, in-group bias, decline bias, optimism or pessimism bias, self-serving bias, information bias, selection bias, availability bias, fundamental attribution error, hindsight bias, anchoring bias, and observer bias).
Psychology Today writes that everyone has some degree of bias because it’s human nature to assign judgment based on first impressions and that environmental factors also play a role in conditioning individuals. Individuals can experience bias because of gender, race, sexuality, age, religion, nationality, and many other aspects of their identity. Dolly Chugh shares seven ways to fight bias.