As a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University, a major focus of Professor Stacey Sinclair’s research is understanding the science behind racial bias.
This is also the theme of a lecture she will give on Thursday called “Prejudice in the Blink of an Eye: The Science of Racial Bias.”
Ahead of that event, Sinclair stopped by WABE’s studios for a conversation with “Closer Look” host Rose Scott about understanding and preventing prejudice.
In her role as a social psychologist, Sinclair specializes in identifying and measuring “implicit bias,” or an unconscious form of bias.
“I think we’re all biased against some group,” she said. “So, you may not be biased against African Americans, but you might be biased against LGBTQ people. You might be biased against people from a different region. There are a lot of different ways we can be biased.”
As a result, Sinclair said, it’s less important for individuals to worry about whether or not they are biased and more productive to “assume you’re biased, and then manage yourself accordingly.”
When it comes to managing bias, she said the best place to start is “interpersonal interactions.”
“I really believe in the power of the interpersonal interaction,” Sinclair said. “If you can be fair to the people around you, that’s going to make their lives different and better. And if we all just try to do that over and over again, we can make a positive change.”
Sinclair’s lecture is being hosted by the Morehouse College chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the College’s Psychology Program.
The event will take place at the Bank of America Auditorium at Morehouse College on Thursday at 6 p.m. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
For more information, click here. More information on the Implicit Association test can be found here.
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