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Your sci-fi suit has lost its shape

By R Mutt (Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:22:41 PM EST) (all tags)

Test yourself for implicit bias. You may be more racist than you think. [:o MeFi]

Truedater lets you review your blind dates. First approximation: all the women are cute, all the men are bastards. [:o W]

Software guru Joel Spolsky on developing the latest version of his FogBugz app: parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. [:(]

How Europeans created Hinduism [:( MeFi]

Comic book motivational posters [:) MeFi]

Key:
[MeFi] = Stolen from Metafilter
[/.] = Stolen from Slashdot
[M] = Stolen from Memepool
[BX] = Stolen from Blogdex
[X.] = Stolen from Christdot
[)] = Stolen from Monkeyfilter
[B] = Stolen from B3ta
[JZ] = Stolen from JeezIdunno
[W] = Stolen from Wired
[[:)] = Needs sound
[:(] = Serious
[:)] = Amusing
[;)] = Ironic
[:o] = Strange
[*] = Flash
[#] = Free registration required
[NSFW] = Not Safe For Work
[NSFWFUP] = Not Safe For Work For Ultra-Prudish
[(UK)] = UK-centric
[LL] = Late or repeated link

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Your sci-fi suit has lost its shape | 30 comments (30 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

ObTestResultsPost by gazbo

(4.00 / 1) #1 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:45:43 PM EST

Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for White People relative to Black People

Which, as it happens, is what I guessed in the survey at the beginning.

My initial reaction, though, was that when I was taking the black=good, white=bad part of the test, I was doing so having trained myself on the white=good, black=bad part.

But then again they do insist that the ordering is corrected for, so I'm not going to kneejerk and assume they're idiots. Especially given that the result is hardly a surprise.

At college they had this poster that read "There is on place where racism doesn't exist" and it pointed to the heads of a black and white baby playing together. All I could ever think was how bollocks that message was. If a black and white baby grew up together, then I agree there would be no form of racism (racism here not necessarily being negative, but just any type of differentiation based on race), but if the baby grew up around only white babies for a few months, and then a black baby was brought in, I'm sure that they would react with intrigue and/or confusion.

And, of course, vice-versa.

"Engarde!" cried the larvae, huskily. - Scrymarch

Test seems surprisingly solid by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #4 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:58:11 PM EST

Not sure well the time differences correlate with racism though. Seems like it could be some kind of linguistic programming: if you're used to seeing certain words in combination you can respond quicker.

OTOH they say the results can be influenced by holding certain ideas in mind, which would contradict that.

[ Parent ]

But based on what? by extremely tedious HuSer (2.00 / 0) #7 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:19:07 PM EST

They say the results can be influenced by holding certain ideas in mind
I don't have the time to look around their website... how did they reach that conclusion?

[ Parent ]

From TFA by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #8 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:24:02 PM EST

Research has shown that individuals who are highly motivated can successfully fool the tests by temporarily holding counter-stereotypes in their minds.
...
There is growing evidence that implicit attitudes can be changed through exposure to counter-stereotypes. When the race test is administered by a black man, test takers' implicit bias toward blacks is reduced, says Irene Blair, a University of Colorado psychologist who recently conducted a review of studies that looked at how attitudes could be changed. Volunteers who mentally visualized a strong woman for a few seconds -- some thought of athletes, some thought of professionals, some thought of the strength it takes to be a homemaker -- had lower bias scores on gender tests. Having people think of black exemplars such as Bill Cosby or Michael Jordan lowered race bias scores. One experiment found that stereotypes about women became weaker after test takers watched a Chinese woman use chopsticks and became stronger after they watched the woman put on makeup. Interventions as brief as a few seconds had effects that lasted at least as long as 24 hours. But the volunteers were not aware of their attitudes having

[ Parent ]

So there by extremely tedious HuSer (2.00 / 0) #9 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:48:00 PM EST

After you have trained yourself to associate 'white' with 'good' thoughts (whih presumably happens when you enter 'white' in the ethnic group field when you register) you are then racially biased if you fail to retrain yourself to associate 'black' with 'good'.

I am not convinced.

[ Parent ]

Yes by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #11 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:51:40 PM EST

If you wander around thinking "white people are great, so much better than black people", then you're implicitly racist.

[ Parent ]

No by extremely tedious HuSer (4.00 / 2) #12 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:13:28 PM EST

If somebody's nervous system is programmed to click a certain combination of buttons for 5 minutes then you can't claim that person is racist simply because they can't reprogramme it fast enough. Sorry, I accept I am likely to be implicityly biased, but I don't buy this test.

[ Parent ]

Another extract by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #13 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:22:18 PM EST

When volunteers who took the race bias test were given the option to work with a white or black partner, one study found, those with the strongest implicit bias scores on the test tended to choose a white partner. Another study found that volunteers with lower bias scores against gays were more willing to interact with a stranger holding a book with an obviously gay theme. A third experiment found that when volunteers were told that another person was gay, those whose scores indicated more bias against gays were more likely to avoid eye contact and show other signs of unfriendliness. A study in Germany by psychologist Arnd Florack found that volunteers whose results suggested more bias against Turks -- an immigrant group -- were more likely to find a Turkish suspect guilty when asked to make a judgment about criminality in an ambiguous situation.

This test seems to correlate pretty well with other measures of implicit racism though. If it exists, this test would seem to be a pretty good measurement of it.

[ Parent ]

Re: re: re: re: buttal by extremely tedious HuSer (2.00 / 0) #14 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:27:59 PM EST

those with the strongest implicit bias scores on the test tended to choose a white partner
yes, but did those with a weak bias tend to choose a black partner?

[ Parent ]

What are you afraid of? by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #15 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:49:39 PM EST

Seems odd that you're so firmly convinced it can't be true, yet you're not willing to actually read the article or the website.

Surely if you don't have time to research it, you should simply be agnostic about it?

[ Parent ]

I am willing, I just don't have the time by extremely tedious HuSer (2.00 / 0) #16 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:07:02 AM EST

It's just that I took the test, and when they switched colours around I started thinking "oh fuck that" and I just didn't have the patience to continue. I did anyway, half arsedly, and the result was that I am biased. I shall read the website later and report.

[ Parent ]

Racist [nt] by R Mutt (4.00 / 1) #17 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:18:06 AM EST

[ Parent ]

: Last wordist [nt] by extremely tedious HuSer (2.00 / 0) #27 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 02:31:39 AM EST

[ Parent ]

I'm going to agree with you here by Gully Foyle (2.00 / 0) #18 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:18:47 AM EST

I got "Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for African American relative to European American". I think it's because of what you said. I spent 5 minutes clicking the Black People = Good test, then didn't retrain my brain fast enough to score well on the second test.

[ Parent ]

ObTrollPost by Evil Herring (2.00 / 0) #25 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:45:14 AM EST

I wanted to finish the test to prove how unbiased I am, but this uppity nigger at the next desk kept interrupting me.

[ Parent ]

The invention of the Hindu by bob6 (4.00 / 1) #2 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:52:17 PM EST

I like this kind of reasonning. Did you read any Edward Said text?

Cheers.

: indeed by Dr H0ffm4n (2.00 / 0) #28 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 02:40:25 AM EST

I assumed it was fairly common knowledge that neither Hinduism nor Buddhism were coherent organised religions as such. I've always been told that they are both a collection of teachings with no central canon. It's interesting to see them as constructions of an imperial categorisation programme.

[ Parent ]

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference by ti dave (2.00 / 0) #3 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:55:19 PM EST

...for Canada relative to United States.

That's bull-shit! I hate Canada!

I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do.
The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it. --W.S. Burroughs

Denial by R Mutt (4.00 / 2) #5 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 09:59:42 PM EST

Dirty Canuck-lover.

[ Parent ]

: Too true... by ti dave (2.00 / 0) #6 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:05:24 PM EST

Gotta love them Dirty Canucks.
I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do.
The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it. --W.S. Burroughs
[ Parent ]

WIPO by hulver

(4.00 / 1) #10 Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 10:48:43 PM EST

Indeterminate.

I confused the test.
--
Cheese is not a hat. - clock

me too by Dr H0ffm4n (2.00 / 0) #20 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:57:40 AM EST

Too many wrong answers. All them evil looking black faces confused me.

[ Parent ]

: Fast by R Mutt (2.00 / 0) #21 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:03:17 AM EST

I suspect the exhortations to go fast, fast, FAST could confuse geeks.
I don't think they mean fast by gaming or touch-typing standards, but fast by the standards of a normal person hunting and pecking at this weird computer-thing.

[ Parent ]

Sort of disappointed by myself by bob6 (2.00 / 0) #19 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 12:26:59 AM EST

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for STRAIGHT PEOPLE relative to GAY PEOPLE

On the bright side:
Your data suggest little or no automatic racial association with Weapons or Harmless Objects

Cheers.

i think my flash is out of date by tps12 (2.00 / 0) #22 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:37:41 AM EST

I get the green checkmark that says I should be able to do the test, but then the test doesn't load. I'll try it on my Lunix machine when I get home.

I do expect I'll do badly, though, having grown up around so many whities. I should do fine on the woman and gay sections, and with Asians and Jews if they have sections for those.

Does it need flash by Bob Abooey (2.00 / 0) #24 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:43:53 AM EST

I think it only mentioned that you need javascript enabled.

For the record it claims I have no bias between being single and being married, which it right on the ol mark.

Warmest regards,
--Your best pal Bob
[ Parent ]

: it needs something by tps12 (2.00 / 0) #26 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:47:36 AM EST

I get the "broken plugin" icon (actually, the "broken Quicktime" icon, but that's what I always get when a Flash thing fails to load).
And of course I have JavaScript enabled...what is this, 1997.

[ Parent ]
: Needs Flash. by ti dave (2.00 / 0) #30 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 06:43:53 AM EST

I use Click to Play, and it was a bit of a hassle.
I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do.
The important question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it. --W.S. Burroughs
[ Parent ]

Heh... by Bob Abooey (2.00 / 0) #23 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 01:38:27 AM EST

Graphic Design

Human emotions can be really, really superficial. In particular people ridiculously overvalue aesthetics and beauty when evaluating products. It's one of the reasons iPods, and, for that matter, Keanu Reeves, are so successful. If you have a product that is functional but not beautiful you have a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really big handicap to overcome against the product that is beautiful but maybe not so functional.

Joel gets a lot of stuff right on the mark.

Warmest regards,
--Your best pal Bob

Interesting tests by Merekat

(2.00 / 0) #29 Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 02:48:25 AM EST

Apparently I am slightly biased associting women with science. Mo extremes on any of 'em yet.

Functionally speaking when I'm doing the test I feel as if I am mainly pattern matching and associating with a twitch of a finger on a keyboard rather than consciously interpreting so I noticed longer words like Grandma and Grandpa and Philosophy slow my response down slightly. How fast is fast anyway?

Your sci-fi suit has lost its shape | 30 comments (30 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback