RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Haley Sayo
Independent Research GT
2015-2016
Title: Implicit Racial Bias: Hidden Thoughts That Affect Your Life
Introduction and Overview of Research:
This project will determine how certain factors affect implicit racial bias, the effect of
implicit bias on daily life, and how certain methods can decrease ones bias. Primary data will be
collected with a survey to answer these questions and support the hypotheses. Hopefully, with
this research, a deeper understanding of this phenomenon can be used to change racism for
current and future generations. In the end, it will be proven that subconscious bias is a huge,
relevant part of everyones life and that there are working ways of decreasing bias.
Background and Rationale:
Many people know explicit racism as the only kind that exists; however, there is a deeper
form that affects people subconsciously, or without their realization (Mooney). Studies have
shown that this kind of subconscious, or implicit, racism affects how people think and act when
in a situation where race may affect the outcome (Hill; Hutson). In fact, 98% of human thought
processes occur subconsciously (Powell). These biases are formed from years of compiled
thoughts and opinions that can come from the media, family, peers, and society ("Readers:
Children Learn Attitudes about Race at Home). The formation and chemistry of the brain can
also have a role in the creation of implicit racism (Telzer, Humphreys, Shapiro, and Tottenham).
Because they are affected by factors that are constantly changing, such as family values and the
media, implicit biases can change from generation to generation. Although these biases
negatively affect the society and peoples lives, they form naturally from evolution and help the
mind sort, perceive, and comprehend the world (Mills).
Although implicit biases are deeply rooted in the mind, there are ways of changing them.
These ways include being exposed to people who break stereotypes, being aware of ones
implicit bias, and having good relationships and experiences with people one has bias against
(Desmond-Harris; Gregoire). By changing implicit biases now, racism could potentially be
changed and decreased for generations to come.
Implicit bias plays a huge role in social justice and equality, which are both massive
issues at the moment. By researching and informing people about implicit bias, a better and more
equal future can be a possibility for everyone. If people realize how much implicit bias is
affecting them and how they can change it, no one will have to suffer because of inequality.

Research Methodology:

Research Question: How does age, race and location affect bias? Is there a way to change
implicit bias? How does implicit bias affect daily life?
Research Hypothesis: Older people and those living in the western plain states or the south will
have more bias because older people have more complex opinions that have grown over a longer
period of time and there are more racist groups in the western plains and the south. People have
preferences for others of their own race as they are taught early on that people of other races act
a certain way . There are many methods to changing implicit bias, such as interacting with
people who break stereotypes. Implicit bias affects health care, education, employment, housing,
and criminal justice.
Research Design Model: This project will be completed with qualitative research, specifically
with a descriptive design model. Implicit racial bias is a phenomenon and to better understand it
and how certain factors affect it, descriptive and qualitative data must be collected and analyzed.
The variables include age, race, location (general areas such as southeastern states, northwestern
states, etc), and ones score on the Implicit Associations Test.
Data Collection: To collect data, a survey will be administered to people of many different
demographics, asking them to take the Implicit Associations Test, created by researchers at
Harvard University, and record their results along with their age, race, and state of residency. The
collected data will be put in separate graphs comparing the score on the test to their age, race,
and location (i.e. amount of people in x age group compared to their score on the IAT). This
would be the easiest way to gather data in large amounts from people all over the country. Data
will be collected anyone willing to participate, but hopefully a more diverse sample will be
collected.
There is literature that supports idea of a relationship between age and implicit bias, race
and implicit bias, and location and explicit racism. However, there is not much actual data
showing the connection between ones age and implicit bias or location and bias, so the data
collected will be new and original.
Product Objectives:
For the final product, posters and brochures showcasing basic information about implicit
bias will be hung and passed out around Mount Hebron High and hopefully Patapsco Middle.
The posters and brochures will be short to keep people intrigued and lead people to a website
that better describes implicit bias and showcases collected data. In addition to posters and
brochures, a lesson plan will be created to teach a class about implicit bias. In the lesson,
students will be asked questions related to implicit bias, taught facts about it, and shown methods
to decrease their bias.
The target audience for the final product is high school and middle school students.
Hopefully, with the information collected in the past year, this project will be able to inform
others about implicit bias and inspire them to try to change their way of thinking. By helping the
next generation change their thoughts on racism, future generations will be able to live with a
more equal society free from the oppression of racism.
Logistical and Considerations:

To collect data, the help of many people will be needed to take the survey and spread the
word about it. The product will require paper and possibly lamination for the posters. Permission
from both participating schools to hang posters and pass out brochures will be needed. It will be
necessary to be able to print multiple posters and brochures and possibly laminate the posters to
make them look more important and final. Transportation to the middle school and help
distributing brochures will also be needed.
A timeline that outlines the data collection, product development, and audience
distribution has been attached.
Approval:
_______________________ _________________________
Student Signature
GT Resource Teacher Signature

________________________
Advisor Signature

Works Cited:
Desmond-Harris, Jenee. "Implicit Bias Means We're All Probably at Least a Little Bit
Racist." Vox Media. N.p., 23 June 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
Gregoire, Carolyn. How Mindfulness Can Help Dislodge Unconscious Racial Biases. The
Huffington Post. N.p., 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Hill, Brandon. Stanford Speaks: Racial Bias, a Psychological Experiment.Online Video Clip.
7 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Hutson, Matthew. "Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and
Anthony G. Greenwald." The Washington Post. N.p., 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Mills, Kim. "Race Relations in a New Age." American Psychological Association. N.p., Apr.
2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Mooney, Chris. "The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men." Mother Jones.
Foundation for National Progress, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
Powell, John. "Understanding the Unconscious Side of Racism." Huffington Post. N.p., 18 Mar.
2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Readers: Children Learn Attitudes about Race at Home." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 May
2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Telzer, Eva H. et al. Amygdala Sensitivity to Race Is Not Present in Childhood but Emerges
Over Adolescence. Journal of cognitive neuroscience 25.2 (2013): 234-244. PMC. Web.
13 Oct. 2015