“Our judgments are shaped by biases”
When children ages 3 to 4, of various races, are shown similar dolls, one white and one black, and asked to pick out the one they think is “good,” “smart,” “pretty,” or that “you want to be friends with,” they overwhelmingly pick the white doll. This is true even of African-American children. That’s a startling example of the deep-seated biases and preconceptions that influence people’s choices, explained Renée Richardson Gosline, the Zenon Zannetos Career Development Assistant Professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, who was the keynote speaker Thursday at the second day of MIT’s annual Institute Diversity Summit. “Our judgments are shaped by biases,” Gosline said — and those preconceptions can be remarkably persistent even when they are clearly and demonstrably false. The persistence of these biases makes it difficult to achieve a more fair and inclusive workplace and society, she said, even for well-meaning people who are sincerely trying to do...