What is the difference between explicit and unconscious bias?
Both explicit bias and unconscious bias involve prejudiced attitudes that can lead to discriminatory actions and decisions.
They differ in a few essential respects:
- Explicit bias: Conscious, deliberate, and openly expressed prejudice
- Unconscious bias: Automatic, involuntary, and not consciously recognized prejudice
When people claim to be unbiased, they typically have explicit biases in mind, unaware that they have unconscious biases.