Implicit Bias in the Law Enforcement System
Alternative Title
Abstract
Implicit bias, a term coined by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald in 1995, refers to the unconscious attitudes and
stereotypes inherent to human beings. Implicit bias has become ever more prevalent in the field of policing in recent years in the wake of
the murders of Treyvon Martin and George Floyd, among many others.
Previous research utilizes traffic reports to identify possible trends that lead to the conclusion that implicit bias exists; however very few utilize direct surveys of officers involved. This study aims to identify the presence of implicit bias in the law enforcement system by surveying both current and former law enforcement officers (LEO). In this study, data will be collected through a survey containing three parts. Participants will first be given general demographic questions, which aim to help identify trends based on factors such as age, race, and location. Participants will then be asked to respond to a series of bias statements based on how
much they apply to their personal attitude. Finally, participants will be asked to complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT). During the IAT, participants will press keyboard keys as directed on the instruction page of the test based on visual stimuli.
The data will be analyzed through a comparison of questionnaire questions, IAT answers, and demographic questions. Correlation between implicit bias and factors such as history of mental illness, race, political identification, gender identity, religious affiliation, and location will be looked at through the finding of a mean value in each group, and an ANOVA test will be run to identify significant differences in each mean. Upon completion of the study, we expect to find that implicit bias is largest in populations that are made up primarily of white Americans, particularly those that lean more conservative and hold strong religious values. This would provide additional support for the conclusions in the previously aforementioned traffic reports and would provide evidence as to what groups should be targeted when considering the implementation of a training regimen