How to harness your own biases
IDEAS producer Tom Howell looks into creating a list of biases, to determine which ones to indulge or combat
*This episode was originally aired on September 7, 2021. It is part of our series exploring the meaning of 'bias.'
The word 'bias' is many centuries old. But what people mean by it changes.
In the five centuries since English absorbed the word 'bias,' its become a troublesome term. In politics, psychology, in philosophy, or in finance, a bias is usually a cause of distorting the truth — a recipe for mistakes.
The term bias as a prejudice has owned a negative reputation.
But for lawn bowlers a bias is a good thing. In South Korean entertainment like K-Pop, a bias refers to a favourite pop star or group.
In June of 2021, the Oxford English Dictionary updated the meaning of 'bias' to include K-Pop's reference of the word and other definitions.
IDEAS producer Tom Howell takes inspiration from Oxford's latest update. He looks into what the rewards might be, if we could name and identify our own most important biases.
In a messy world of contested facts and few objective measures, some experts dispute that such a goal could ever be achieved.
But that won't stop a determined Howell to seek knowledge from bias experts.
Listen to his documentary, 'B is for Bias' by clicking the play button above.
Here are a couple resources aimed at helping you identify your own biases:
Project Implicit - The project was founded in 1998 by Drs. Tony Greenwald, Mahzarin Banaji, and Brian Nosek. Banaji and Greenwald are co-authors of the book Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People which delves into how they interpret the "Implicit Association Test" and what we ought to infer from our own individual results, as well as what it tells us about the wider society.
Further reading: Should you trust media bias charts?
(n.b. These sites are mentioned as matters of interest; links listed here do not confer an endorsement (or otherwise) of their claims to define "bias" in the media or describe the political spectrum.)
Guests in this episode:
Martin Zibauer is with Toronto's Cosburn Park Lawn Bowling Club and Toronto Rainbowlers.
Tali Sharot is a director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London.
Harvey Norris is a licensed clinical social worker in Louisiana, U.S. and author of Cognitive Distortions, Bias & Fallacies: 194 Flashcards and other learning aids for social workers.
Calvin Lai is an assistant professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and chair of the scientific advisory board at Project Implicit.
* This episode was produced by Tom Howell.
