After taking the Implicit Attitude Test (IAT), I found that I have a slight unconscious preference that I wasn’t fully aware of before. It was interesting because I like to think of myself as fair and unbiased, but the results showed that some automatic associations can still influence my thinking, especially growing up with a different background in a European country, being surrounded by new social situations every time I have moved or traveled to a new place. This made me realize how common implicit bias is and how easily it can affect decisions without us noticing.
Implicit bias can impact both the reliability and validityof a selection process. In terms of reliability, different candidates might be judged if personal biases influence how they are evaluated. An example of this would be how if two applicants with similar qualifications could be rated differently based on unconscious preferences made me the individual who is making the decision. Validity is also affected because hiring decisions may not accurately reflect who is actually the best fit for the role. Research from Project Implicit shows that people can hold biases they are not consciously aware of, which can still shape their behavior. Similarly, Daniel Kahneman explains that people often rely on quick, automatic thinking, which makes biased decisions more likely to occur.
One way to reduce the impact of implicit bias is by using structured interviews to avoid this issue, as asking every candidate the same questions and using a clear scoring system can help make the process more fair and consistent and avoid bias decisions. Overall, this experience helped me better understand the importance of being aware of bias and taking steps to reduce its influence in hiring decisions, as this is crucial to create fair outcomes.