TY - JOUR
T1 - What we can (and can’t) infer about implicit bias from debiasing experiments
AU - Byrd, Nick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - The received view of implicit bias holds that it is associative and unreflective. Recently, the received view has been challenged. Some argue that implicit bias is not predicated on “any” associative process, but it is unreflective. These arguments rely, in part, on debiasing experiments. They proceed as follows. If implicit bias is associative and unreflective, then certain experimental manipulations cannot change implicitly biased behavior. However, these manipulations can change such behavior. So, implicit bias is not associative and unreflective. This paper finds philosophical and empirical problems with that argument. When the problems are solved, the conclusion is not quite right: implicit bias is not necessarily unreflective, but it seems to be associative. Further, the paper shows that even if legitimate non-associative interventions on implicit bias exist, then both the received view and its recent contender would be false. In their stead would be interactionism or minimalism about implicit bias.
AB - The received view of implicit bias holds that it is associative and unreflective. Recently, the received view has been challenged. Some argue that implicit bias is not predicated on “any” associative process, but it is unreflective. These arguments rely, in part, on debiasing experiments. They proceed as follows. If implicit bias is associative and unreflective, then certain experimental manipulations cannot change implicitly biased behavior. However, these manipulations can change such behavior. So, implicit bias is not associative and unreflective. This paper finds philosophical and empirical problems with that argument. When the problems are solved, the conclusion is not quite right: implicit bias is not necessarily unreflective, but it seems to be associative. Further, the paper shows that even if legitimate non-associative interventions on implicit bias exist, then both the received view and its recent contender would be false. In their stead would be interactionism or minimalism about implicit bias.
KW - Associationism
KW - Causation
KW - Debiasing
KW - Dual process theory
KW - Implicit association test
KW - Implicit bias
KW - Interventionism
KW - Philosophy of cognitive science
KW - Philosophy of mind
KW - Philosophy of science
KW - Reflectivism
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U2 - 10.1007/s11229-019-02128-6
DO - 10.1007/s11229-019-02128-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85061496292
SN - 0039-7857
VL - 198
SP - 1427
EP - 1455
JO - Synthese
JF - Synthese
IS - 2
ER -