You're Biased! Deal With It

Abstract

Widespread implementation of the Implicit Association Test has revealed that most doctors, and many radiologists, hold implicit racial bias. Because implicit bias is thought to drive discrimination, it has emerged as a primary explanation for radiology's ongoing racial disparity. In this critical review of the literature, which includes empirical studies of radiology resident selection, the authors argue that implicit bias is a universal human instinctual characteristic, but one that humans have the capacity to override through more deliberative thought processes. Overstating the validity of the Implicit Association Test, and the role of implicit bias in causing radiology's racial disparities, is unwarranted, unhelpful, and potentially distracting from addressing actual causes and real solutions.

Keywords: Bias; discrimination; disparity; residents.