Poster 2021

Unveiling unconscious biases and stereotypes in students: The necessity of self-reflection in Higher Education

Thumb ticker sm maria wirzberger profil
Software Workshop
Tenure-Track Professor & Guest Scientist

Preparing the next generation for an ever-changing environment is of utmost importance in Higher Education. Though cultural diversity is highly prevalent in modern societies, (implicit) biases, stereotypes and racism maintain a persistent yet mostly overlooked part of everyday life. Many students are not aware of their biases. Hence, it is imperative for them to undergo a critical self-reflection process about their beliefs and (unconscious) biases. To induce this process, raise awareness and confront them with potential (unconscious) biases and stereotypes, 404 university students in teacher training and vocational education completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) on skin color before watching a lecture discussing biases and stereotypes. The preliminary results show a variety of reactions after taking the test, ranging from denial and anger to discomfort and surprise. We will discuss possibilities to support students in leveraging the resulting cognitive dissonance as an opportunity to begin their individual self-reflection process.

Author(s): Tabea Berberena and Maria Wirzberger
Year: 2021
Editors: T. Fitch and C. Lamm and H. Leder and K. Teßmar-Raible
Bibtex Type: Poster (poster)
Electronic Archiving: grant_archive
Event Name: CogSci 2021

BibTex

@poster{Berberena2021CogSci,
  title = {Unveiling unconscious biases and stereotypes in students: The necessity of self-reflection in Higher Education},
  abstract = {Preparing the next generation for an ever-changing environment is of utmost importance in Higher Education. Though cultural diversity is highly prevalent in modern societies, (implicit) biases, stereotypes and racism maintain a persistent yet mostly overlooked part of everyday life. Many students are not aware of their biases. Hence, it is imperative for them to undergo a critical self-reflection process about their beliefs and (unconscious) biases. To induce this process, raise awareness and confront them with potential (unconscious) biases and stereotypes, 404 university students in teacher training and vocational education completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) on skin color before watching a lecture discussing biases and stereotypes. The preliminary results show a variety of reactions after taking the test, ranging from denial and anger to discomfort and surprise. We will discuss possibilities to support students in leveraging the resulting cognitive dissonance as an opportunity to begin their individual self-reflection process.},
  editors = {T. Fitch and C. Lamm and H. Leder and K. Teßmar-Raible},
  year = {2021},
  slug = {berberena2021cogsci},
  author = {Berberena, Tabea and Wirzberger, Maria}
}