Keynote Presenter: Victoria Plaut

Berkeley Law, University of California
Professor of Law and Social Science
Director, Culture, Diversity & Intergroup Relations Lab

Addressing Unintentional Bias 

No one likes to think of themselves as biased, but each of us inhabits contexts that shape our expectations and judgments of others. What does psychological science teach us about our biases and how to address them? In this session we will examine the science of implicit bias: what it is, where it comes from, and what encourages it. We will learn that the mind forms habits that we are unaware of and may even find surprising, and that certain conditions make bias more or less likely to manifest. We will also examine empirical evidence of the systematic ways that our biases can infiltrate decision processes that are relevant to interviewing, hiring, evaluation, discipline, and how we treat others. Finally, we will consider research-based examples of solutions with particular relevance to the investigative context.

Dr. Plaut’s research on diversity, culture, and inclusion aims to address the challenges and opportunities of working, living, and learning in diverse environments. She also has a related line of work on cultural psychology, including cultural models of success, self, well-being, relationship, and law. At Berkeley Law, Dr. Plaut’s research and classes focus on incorporating empirical psychological research related to issues of diversity and culture into the design of legal institutions and organizations.