Training Makes a Difference for Defeating Stereotypes
People demonstrate reduced stereotype activation when they’ve received training. The results from the training task provide further evidence for the impact of practice on participants’ proficiency in negating stereotypes. This is according to a recent study by Kawakami, Davidio, Moll and Hermsen. An article, “Just say no (to stereotyping): effects of training in the negation of stereotypic associations on stereotype activation” had as its primary aim to examine the effect of training in negating stereotype associations on stereotype activation. Across 3 studies, participants received practice in negating stereotypes related to skinhead and racial categories.
The subsequent automatic activation of stereotypes was measured using either a primed Stroop task (Studies I and 2) or a person categorization task (Study 3). The results demonstrate that when receiving no training or training in a non-target category stereotype, participants exhibited spontaneous stereotype activation. After receiving an extensive amount of training related to a specific category, however, participants demonstrated reduced stereotype activation. The results from the training task provide further evidence for the impact of practice on participants’ proficiency in negating stereotypes.
Although this study didn’t use the Ouch! program, certainly this is substantiates the U of Cincinnati study and years of anecdotal evidence that supports the use of our own program, Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts.
More From Our Blog…
25 Stories About Racial Microaggressions At School
BuzzFeed asked its readers to share stories of racial microaggressions when they were in school. The response is published in the article, People Of Color Are Sharing Their Experiences With Racial Microaggressions In School, And Honestly, None Of These Stories Should...
Training is a Terrible Word
The other day I was speaking with a client about the training courses that SunShower offers. I heard myself say, “but training is just a terrible word, isn’t it?” She laughed and agreed. We joked that training is for dogs and maybe some cats. It was funny, and, as I...
Colin in Black and White
If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for the next great show. Well, look no further than Colin in Black and White, the Netflix limited series. Ava DuVernay has woven together the inspiring and emotional story of how young Colin Kaepernick not only became a...
Book Review – Americanah
In our work with organizations and especially in our Workshops Via Zoom, we always suggest strategies, skills and concrete actions that people can use to counter any automatic judgments or biases that come up. Because of how our brains categorize people and...
Ava DuVernay on Microaggressions
Netflix is out with a new show on Colin Kaepernick’s early life, produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay. She explains what motivated her to do a story about a famous person, which is, in her own words, “not my thing”. She discusses how she got...
Shrill
You don’t have to be a keen observer of culture to notice that certain words and descriptions have become code-words to criticize and marginalize women and dismiss their ideas. To monitor how your own unconscious biases may be at play in your communications, you’ll...
“I congratulate you and your people”
In a Congressional hearing to confirm President Biden’s nominee to the 9th US Circuit of Appeals, US Senator Grassley welcomed the Honorable Lucy H. Koh by saying, “If I’ve learned anything from Korean people, it’s a hard work ethic. And how you can make a lot out of...
Allyship: Key to Inclusion?
"Remember to look for opportunities to be an upstander or ally.” You’ll often hear words like this at the end of a diversity workshop. In fact, I’ve emphasized the importance of being an ally in many of the courses I’ve produced. Dr. Derald Wing Sue, in Disarming...
Inclusive Hiring Practices
These days, organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit, hire and retain employees. The pandemic has shifted the goalposts for millions of people, if not relocated them to entirely new playing fields (sorry to stretch the metaphors). That’s why...
When Unconscious Bias Training Does More Harm Than Good
When I talk about our unconscious bias Workshops via Zoom or Defeating Unconscious Bias, our online e-Learning course, I always emphasize that our approach starts with raising awareness and then adds skills that everyone can practice to interrupt bias. So it was...