The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias
- Downloads：2437
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-19 15:21:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Nordell
- ISBN：B07WYSGSWC
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The End of Bias is a transformative， groundbreaking exploration into how we can eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination， the great challenge of our age。
Implicit bias: persistent， unintentional prejudiced behavior that clashes with our consciously held beliefs。 We know that it exists， to corrosive and even lethal effect。 We see it in medicine， we see it in finance， and as we know from the police killings of so many Black Americans， bias can be deadly。 But are we able to step beyond recognition of our prejudice to actually change it？
With fifteen years' immersion in the topic， Jessica Nordell digs deep into the cognitive science， social psychology， and developmental research that underpin current efforts to eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination。 She examines diversity training， deployed across the land as a corrective but with inconsistent results。 She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women in disease prevention; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping: the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force。
The End of Bias: A Beginning brings good news: Biased behavior can change; the approaches outlined here can transform ourselves and our world。
Implicit bias: persistent， unintentional prejudiced behavior that clashes with our consciously held beliefs。 We know that it exists， to corrosive and even lethal effect。 We see it in medicine， we see it in finance， and as we know from the police killings of so many Black Americans， bias can be deadly。 But are we able to step beyond recognition of our prejudice to actually change it？
With fifteen years' immersion in the topic， Jessica Nordell digs deep into the cognitive science， social psychology， and developmental research that underpin current efforts to eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination。 She examines diversity training， deployed across the land as a corrective but with inconsistent results。 She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women in disease prevention; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping: the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force。
The End of Bias: A Beginning brings good news: Biased behavior can change; the approaches outlined here can transform ourselves and our world。
Reviews
Margaret McCulloch-Keeble
，
I'm almost afraid to say why I've only given this 3 stars， but it was far too focused on American studies/ incidents for my liking。 I know。 The irony is not lost on me。 It almost sounds like I want to live somewhere that is biased。 The thing is I do。 Britain is biased。 Everywhere is。 But there's hardly any mention of it as a global thing。 It's uncomfortably but refreshingly honest and has made me look at myself and how biased I am。 I naively found no magic wands， hints maybe， but no cures apart I'm almost afraid to say why I've only given this 3 stars， but it was far too focused on American studies/ incidents for my liking。 I know。 The irony is not lost on me。 It almost sounds like I want to live somewhere that is biased。 The thing is I do。 Britain is biased。 Everywhere is。 But there's hardly any mention of it as a global thing。 It's uncomfortably but refreshingly honest and has made me look at myself and how biased I am。 I naively found no magic wands， hints maybe， but no cures apart from personal humility， humanity and do as you would be done by with a side order of learn about the people of the world we share。 。。。more
Kate Henderson
，
This is a really interesting book。 I definitely got a lot from it。 However， it's pretty full on！ Its incredibly dense and took me a long time to get through it - it was worth it but man， it was a slog！！！ I wish it was broken up a little bit more， maybe smaller sections， a few illustrations。 （I realise I sound like I want a children's book here - but if it was a little easier to read， I think more people would read it， and I would have enjoyed my reading experience more）I would like to listen to This is a really interesting book。 I definitely got a lot from it。 However， it's pretty full on！ Its incredibly dense and took me a long time to get through it - it was worth it but man， it was a slog！！！ I wish it was broken up a little bit more， maybe smaller sections， a few illustrations。 （I realise I sound like I want a children's book here - but if it was a little easier to read， I think more people would read it， and I would have enjoyed my reading experience more）I would like to listen to this book on audio as I wonder if it would make it easier to digest。 。。。more
Book Club of One
，
* I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。*Jessica Nordell is an American writer， poet and journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic， The New York Times， The Washington Post and other publications。 Her work focuses on issues related to prejudice and discrimination。 End of Bias: A Beginning is her first book。 This wonderful and timely book is "a solutions-based odyssey through the science and psychology of unconscious or unexamined bias and discrimination and e * I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。*Jessica Nordell is an American writer， poet and journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic， The New York Times， The Washington Post and other publications。 Her work focuses on issues related to prejudice and discrimination。 End of Bias: A Beginning is her first book。 This wonderful and timely book is "a solutions-based odyssey through the science and psychology of unconscious or unexamined bias and discrimination and evidence-based approaches to ending it。"* To accomplish this， Nordell has arranged the book into 3 sections。 Starting with definitions and explanations of how unconscious bias operates， Nordell then moves into looking at ways to recognize bias and re frame the situations in which it arises。 Throughout the The End of Bias Nordell draws extensively from academic publications， research studies， personal experience， investigative journalism and interviews showing a great depth of knowledge and understanding of this subject。 One of the greatest strengths of this work is that it is not merely diagnostic。 While the issues that arrive from bias are frequently discussed and detailed， Nordell also spends time presenting and explaining different strategies， workflows， structural policies or personal mental practices that can work to upend or lower the impact of biases。 Be it public consensus， testing all children within a school district， or mental health training for police officers。 And while this is very much a book to present the problem and offer starting points， Nordell freely uses experiences drawn from her personal life。 Such as her time at MIT， the medical misdiagnosis of a close friend or other more personal interactions。 Writing in the conclusion Nordell discuses her writers journey from， initially， a work of science to its current form through a journey of self reflection。 On page 273， Nordell traces this path， making sure to note "The most essential part of this journey was making and learning from mistakes。" and that key point is where we often lose people in their initial defensive reaction。 By working on an individual level we can change the way we think and the more of us willing to do this and undertake the process， the greater the possibilities of society as a whole changing。 It is only with wider support ahtat we can make systematic changes to address the inequalities of our contemporary society。 *Jessica Nordell。 "About。" http://jessicanordell。com/about Accessed September 12， 2021。 。。。more
Brittany Williamson
，
Worthwhile， timely read。 Left a bit to be desired on the “overcoming” piece。
Susan Wright
，
This is a ground changing book。 From the very first page， examples are used to demonstrate the unfairness of unconscious bias。 Throughout the book， examples as well as some explanations are given for unconscious bias， as well as successful work that is being done to address this issue。The interesting fact is the resistance to this training from cynicism to aggressive opposition。 Change is challenging isn't it。Thank you for the opportunity to read this book Netgalley。 This is a ground changing book。 From the very first page， examples are used to demonstrate the unfairness of unconscious bias。 Throughout the book， examples as well as some explanations are given for unconscious bias， as well as successful work that is being done to address this issue。The interesting fact is the resistance to this training from cynicism to aggressive opposition。 Change is challenging isn't it。Thank you for the opportunity to read this book Netgalley。 。。。more
Caroline 'reading with Buddy'
，
This was a thought provoking book and I read it in instalments so that I could think about what the author wrote and the case studies。 I suppose I never really thought about bias before as I am lucky to work in a government agency which is very inclusive but it did get me thinking。 I would recommend reading this book I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own。
Stephen Rynkiewicz
，
Bias is instantaneous thinking， and our best way out of it is mindfulness， the practice of seeing what we do rationally and learning from it。 Match it with a drive to accept and learn from each other， the practice that makes innovation possible， and we have not an easy answer to racism or sexism but a rewarding life's work。 Bias is instantaneous thinking， and our best way out of it is mindfulness， the practice of seeing what we do rationally and learning from it。 Match it with a drive to accept and learn from each other， the practice that makes innovation possible， and we have not an easy answer to racism or sexism but a rewarding life's work。 。。。more
AJ
，
This book is another extremely necessary piece of the puzzle to help dismantle racism， sexism， ableism， homophobia， and all of the other -isms that contribute to making this world an uncomfortable place for so many folks to inhabit。
MarmottanReads
，
Really interesting examination of bias， and how to address it both personally and organisationally。 Packed full of real world examples， and thought provoking。
Anne
，
This is a truly amazing book。 Ms Nordell has achieved a great service getting these ideas down in a readable， entertaining， yet challenging way。 I spent half the book saying “that’s what I think”， a quarter saying “wow I didn't know that” and a quarter is written down in my notebook。 I also need to follow up on the comprehensive notes and references section， which clearly reflects the research which went into this book。“Reducing individual bias won’t end disparities and societal inequities: thes This is a truly amazing book。 Ms Nordell has achieved a great service getting these ideas down in a readable， entertaining， yet challenging way。 I spent half the book saying “that’s what I think”， a quarter saying “wow I didn't know that” and a quarter is written down in my notebook。 I also need to follow up on the comprehensive notes and references section， which clearly reflects the research which went into this book。“Reducing individual bias won’t end disparities and societal inequities: these are the legacy of historical exclusion， unequal access， extractive economic policies， and other invidious structures built on corrupt foundations。 Only large systemic changes - from the reinvention of public safety and prisons to broad economic repair - can address such gross and longstanding injustices。”This is not a polemic， it is a fascinating look at how we form our prejudices without knowing we are doing it。 Why do we reuse our towels in a hotel more when we are told other guests do it， than when we are are told it helps the environment？ There is no point having a quota and employing more of the people you have historically shut out， if those people quickly leave because the atmosphere in your company is toxic and they are are not valued。 “…another recent study found that people who believed that gender discrimination was no longer a problem in their field rated a male employee as more competent than an identical female employee and recommended an 8 per cent higher salary。”An excellent quote which sums up the way the author went about her study is “By constricting the makeup of who asks the questions， it shapes what questions are asked， compressing the scope of human knowledge。”There is a story of a school which was looking at how they could help their young children overcome any innate or learned prejudice about boys and girls being different。 Boys are strong and don’t cry， girls are pretty and wear pink etc。 But when they looked back at tapes of the classroom interactions， they found it was the teachers who reinforced the bias as much as the kids。 When they changed their methods completely to address the issues， a number of parents complained！An excellent， stimulating book and I will follow up on some of the references。 I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review 。。。more
what。heather。loves
，
"We can begin by noticing our own biased reactions。。。we can build structures decision-making into our institutions and organizations。。。we can spread new norms。。。Underlying all of this is a cellular-level shift: a change of heart。"The End of Bias is the author's journey to identify causes for and patterns of unintentionally biased behaviour and to see how bias can be eroded or removed。 She references many case studies of real events where individuals have encountered bias， often in the organisati "We can begin by noticing our own biased reactions。。。we can build structures decision-making into our institutions and organizations。。。we can spread new norms。。。Underlying all of this is a cellular-level shift: a change of heart。"The End of Bias is the author's journey to identify causes for and patterns of unintentionally biased behaviour and to see how bias can be eroded or removed。 She references many case studies of real events where individuals have encountered bias， often in the organisations they work for， and how they tackled it， to find common methods and solutions。 The author looks at gender and race discrimination and its causes， which are often societal and perception-based。 She looks at bia in the police， in universities and schools， places of work and within the medical profession。As laws only limit the worst excesses of bias and discrimination it can begin with individuals to want to change their habits， to consider the impact of cumulative experiences of discrimination and want to do differently。 It requires tackling a legacy of exclusion and seeking， or starting， large systemic changes， understanding history and patterns of behaviour。 Role models help， as can changing processes structure and culture， introducing checklists and checkpoints to， literally check our bias。 This is an urgent， thorough and fascinating exploration of unintentional bias and how to change the world to minimise its impacts。 We can all benefit from understanding our own bias， which in turn enables us to question others and organisations we interact with。 This book advocates hope for the future， for a more inclusive world with the potential to be free of discrimination。 。。。more
Maria Flaherty
，
A thought provoking read， 'The End of Bias' by Jessica Nordell， addresses the topics of unconscious bias and prejudice。 Referencing a number of case studies where individuals have encountered bias， the author looks at methods to understand and counteract the bias。 Nordell also considers looks gender and race discrimination and its causes， both of which are often societal and perception-based。 Interestingly， the author attempts to take a solution-orientated approach， and so provides numerous exa A thought provoking read， 'The End of Bias' by Jessica Nordell， addresses the topics of unconscious bias and prejudice。 Referencing a number of case studies where individuals have encountered bias， the author looks at methods to understand and counteract the bias。 Nordell also considers looks gender and race discrimination and its causes， both of which are often societal and perception-based。 Interestingly， the author attempts to take a solution-orientated approach， and so provides numerous examples of interventions which were evidenced as reducing bias， along with the footnotes to backup this information。 Very researched， this book is written in a more conversational style which ensures that the book is accessible to all readers。 。。。more
books4chess
，
“The truth is that those who are most affected often lead the change”。The book addresses modern day prejudice and unconscious bias。 In theory， an important read。 It highlights how stereotypes and preconceived notions seep into everything - work， healthcare， education and academia。 I loved the premise but the book fell short。 Valid case studies were super interesting - including an insight into the political power of Sesame Street between Albanian and Serbian children and the power of Facebook pr “The truth is that those who are most affected often lead the change”。The book addresses modern day prejudice and unconscious bias。 In theory， an important read。 It highlights how stereotypes and preconceived notions seep into everything - work， healthcare， education and academia。 I loved the premise but the book fell short。 Valid case studies were super interesting - including an insight into the political power of Sesame Street between Albanian and Serbian children and the power of Facebook presenting different adverts depending on the race of the user。Unfortunately though， the book was filled with too many case studies and not enough analysis。 The end chapter read more as a stream of conscience that felt partially divorced from the rest of the content covered。 There are many books available on the topic currently and a more focused approach would have delivered a greater impact。 I enjoyed the historical emphasis on the creation of race and the shift in preference， as well as the positive belief that prejudice is just a habit we can train out of。 。。。more
Ron Frampton
，
A book on how to end unintentional bias and discrimination。
Amber Summers
，
I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley。 This book is an eye-opener and it had a lot of examples of bias。 Although it was heavily researched， in my opinion it didn’t flow very well at all。 This is not a casual read。 I was also looking for more examples to end bias rather than facts spread throughout the entire book。 This felt more like a chore to read。 #NetGalley #TheEndOfBias
Ellie
，
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review。And， honestly。。。I loved it。 In the conclusion， the author notes that she upon starting this book， she thought it would be a scientific approach: gathering sources， testing a conclusion。 You can definitely see that， in the variety of references there are （which I really liked - I'll definitely be buying a physical copy upon publication， so that I can have the list for future。） However， in contrast （sorry to all t Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review。And， honestly。。。I loved it。 In the conclusion， the author notes that she upon starting this book， she thought it would be a scientific approach: gathering sources， testing a conclusion。 You can definitely see that， in the variety of references there are （which I really liked - I'll definitely be buying a physical copy upon publication， so that I can have the list for future。） However， in contrast （sorry to all the science academics who've written very funny papers - no shade on you， I promise！）， it's written engagingly too， more like an essay or a longread magazine article， and makes sure to focus on the human aspect。 I felt like the data and figures were well-balanced with this essential real-life， human aspect， together covering a side of the discourse that we don't see written about in mainstream culture as much as we should （or at least， that I haven't seen as much！）It gave me hope， and also gave me pointers for where there's always more work to do。 。。。more
Rory Fox
，
Why do parents google “is my son gifted” more than twice as often as ‘is my daughter gifted？’ And why do they google ‘is my daughter overweight’ twice as often as they ask about sons， even though statistically more boys are obese than girls？With many more examples like these， the author shows that we are all biased in subtle ways。 And the bias often operates subconsciously through learned cultural expectations。 For example in Performance reviews， personality issues are raised for men in 2% of ca Why do parents google “is my son gifted” more than twice as often as ‘is my daughter gifted？’ And why do they google ‘is my daughter overweight’ twice as often as they ask about sons， even though statistically more boys are obese than girls？With many more examples like these， the author shows that we are all biased in subtle ways。 And the bias often operates subconsciously through learned cultural expectations。 For example in Performance reviews， personality issues are raised for men in 2% of cases。 For women it is 76%。 And the character flaws of the women are the virtues cited as reasons for promoting men。 Underlying these double standards are unspoken cultural expectations about how men and women “should” behave。 One of the things I particularly appreciated about this book is that it was solution orientated。 More than half the book gave examples of interventions which were evidenced as reducing bias。 And a further 25% of the book provided footnotes with the details of the evidence。Reviewing interactions between Police and Black/Latino populations the author noted that there are often mental health issues affecting police officers。 This led to programmes of mindfulness and re-humanising behaviours which had measurable impacts in driving down crime whilst simultaneously reducing arrests of Black and Latino people。 In one programme， over a period of 6 years police use of force dropped by 40% whilst their policing remained as effective as previously。Another set of solutions to bias involve ‘cognitive interventions，’ which enabled people to look for ‘situational’ explanations for behaviour， rather than attributing it to character flaws。 In a school context this halved the numbers of black pupils being suspended。 In the criminal justice system it led to a 13% reduction in recidivism amongst Black and Latino populations。In further chapters the author looks at healthcare。 We see that something as simple as a ‘checklist’ stopped doctors defaulting into biases， and it led to a 47% drop in death rates amongst those with blood clots。The book contains far too many examples to cite， and it has a wealth of analysis and thoughtful suggestions about the types of strategies which reduce bias and discrimination。Overall， it is an enjoyable and very informative read with an upbeat message that discrimination really can be fought and defeated。 These are honest comments based on an Advanced Review Copy of the text 。。。more
Alison Bradbury
，
Very research heavy， this reads like an academic paper。 The list of sources is massive and， as I was reading on a kindle， this was frustrating as it isn't easy to flick back and to between the source list and the text。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Very research heavy， this reads like an academic paper。 The list of sources is massive and， as I was reading on a kindle， this was frustrating as it isn't easy to flick back and to between the source list and the text。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma
，
This is the book that all the people who acknowledge that some are disproportionately treated as a truth。 It is an invaluable book that is well researched with relatable examples and empirically scenarios to allow us to apply to our own lives， I was shocked at the things I was personally guilty of and am now routinely seeking the source of my presumptions。When Allies can cut the canker off at the root we can gently guide those with more ingrained prejudices with insightful questions and correlat This is the book that all the people who acknowledge that some are disproportionately treated as a truth。 It is an invaluable book that is well researched with relatable examples and empirically scenarios to allow us to apply to our own lives， I was shocked at the things I was personally guilty of and am now routinely seeking the source of my presumptions。When Allies can cut the canker off at the root we can gently guide those with more ingrained prejudices with insightful questions and correlation 。Will be sharing far and wide。 。。。more
Terence Eden
，
One of the hardest things about being human is unlearning our base instincts。 The survival strategies we needed as small tribes in a dangerous environment are rarely relevant in the modern world。Bias exists。 This books makes an excellent academic case for showing that bias is present in all of us - and that it is （mostly） no longer a useful heuristic。 It meticulously chronicles the various experiments which have been undertaken to see where bias creeps in to the decision-making process。 Perhaps One of the hardest things about being human is unlearning our base instincts。 The survival strategies we needed as small tribes in a dangerous environment are rarely relevant in the modern world。Bias exists。 This books makes an excellent academic case for showing that bias is present in all of us - and that it is （mostly） no longer a useful heuristic。 It meticulously chronicles the various experiments which have been undertaken to see where bias creeps in to the decision-making process。 Perhaps this isn't surprising to you - but it is useful to have it spelled out so clearly。What works to address bias？ What's just snake oil？ It's harder than you might think。 Some promising studies can't be replicated - others get mired in controversy。 And， worse still， some people don't want to change！Can the USA's notoriously violent and racist police reduce their biases by meditating before a shift？ It's the sort of thing which would generate eye-rolls from the commentariat and fierce resistance from the "noble warriors" themselves。 And， yet， the evidence suggests that it works。 Sure， you can't wipe out all the structural problems of law enforcement with a few deep breaths - but it appears to be a good start。In tech， we know that fixing "the pipeline" isn't enough。 We need to make concerted efforts to correct past mistakes。 The story of how MIT increased its diversity （in one faculty， on one spectrum） is an excellent model about how leadership has to want to be better。Finally， there's an interesting section on child rearing。 Something of no interest to me - but fascinating to see what some people consider "indoctrination"。 How do you speak to the children around you？ Do you intentionally reinforce gender stereotypes？ Is that harmful？As with many modern books about bias， it mostly looks at things through a North American lens。 While I'm not claiming that Europe is free of bias， the problems we have often stem from a very different background than the USA。 However， there are a couple of good sections about practical examples from European research。At its heart is a plea to take this stuff seriously。 Not just in an academic setting - but in every aspect of your life。 Examine what weird little biases you have， work out where they came from， try to discard them if they do no good - and then hope that， together， we can change the world。Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy。 The book is released later this year。 。。。more
Barbara
，
An informed and important account of the depth of bias in education， through to employment and law enforcement。 It is not for the faint-hearted being， for me， too long and repetitive。 It doesn’t read like an academic paper - it flows well and is not jargon-driven - but for the casual but concerned reader a pruned down version would have served the purpose better。 Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read it。
Kathleen
，
The End of Bias is perfect for the reader that is on a journey to better understand some of the current work around reducing bias。 It is not for the reader that doesn’t believe bias exists。 Nordell covered most major industries， which makes it more relatable to the reader。 Additionally， the inclusion of bias around the world illustrates that bias is not just an American phenomenon。 I think this book should be read by HR professionals so as to better inform training and policy selections。 Full di The End of Bias is perfect for the reader that is on a journey to better understand some of the current work around reducing bias。 It is not for the reader that doesn’t believe bias exists。 Nordell covered most major industries， which makes it more relatable to the reader。 Additionally， the inclusion of bias around the world illustrates that bias is not just an American phenomenon。 I think this book should be read by HR professionals so as to better inform training and policy selections。 Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from Goodreads giveaway。 。。。more
Rose
，
Provides a good insight on case studies and research done by Patricia Devine on implicit bias and unconscious bias。 Very interesting read to learn about the different studies done and results。 The book provides good resources to use to become more conscious of our biases and how to update our actions。 I was provided this ARC from Goodreads Giveaways。
Bill Reilly
，
Comprehensive。 Very well researched。 The first of it's kind to demonstrate real-world solutions to personal， institutional， and cultural bias。 Comprehensive。 Very well researched。 The first of it's kind to demonstrate real-world solutions to personal， institutional， and cultural bias。 。。。more
KT
，
In a time when people are rushing to find answers to long-term societal ills， The End of Bias offers， in the author’s words， “a quest to unearth remedies。” And that is how it works， giving insightful explanations of the science behind reducing bias in ourselves and our workplaces， but never offering simplistic or too easy answers。 Though the topic is a serious one， the reading is a pleasure， particularly in the way Nordell introduces us to an inspiring and creative set of characters devoted to f In a time when people are rushing to find answers to long-term societal ills， The End of Bias offers， in the author’s words， “a quest to unearth remedies。” And that is how it works， giving insightful explanations of the science behind reducing bias in ourselves and our workplaces， but never offering simplistic or too easy answers。 Though the topic is a serious one， the reading is a pleasure， particularly in the way Nordell introduces us to an inspiring and creative set of characters devoted to finding solutions， from elementary school classrooms， to board rooms， to police departments。 。。。more
Sarah R （BiblioBonorum）
，
Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for the ARC！
Patrick Pilz
，
After reading a few books on racism， harassments and equal rights， I found this book rather refreshing and interesting。 It frames the idea of bias in a more general way and makes one more aware of the slippery slope of stereotypes to biases we act upon。 An interesting read coming at the right time。
Andréa
，
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。
Sarah
，