Understanding Unconscious Bias

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• Bias
• Special Education

Unconscious Bias Quiz

Which of the following phrases best explains the term bias?

A

Bias only benefits the person who has it

B

Bias is always a conscious decision

C

A conscious dislike of a specific group of people.

D

Bias is favouring people who share similar backgrounds, interests, or experiences

What is the reason the human brain develops unconscious biases?

A

To create social groups

B

Lack of training.

C

To process a lot of information quickly using mental shortcuts

D

To help us remember names and faces quickly

If you are a "good person," you do not have unconscious biases.

1

True

2

False

A new satellite family arrives at your Hub home for their first constellation social.

The carers are very well-dressed, bring a homemade cake, and speak very confidently. You immediately tell the other carers, "They are going to be a star family," without actually knowing their background.

A

The "Halo" Effect (One good trait makes you see everything else as good)

B

The "Horns" Effect (One bad trait makes you see everything else as bad)

C

Being observant

D

Good judge of character

A child in care has a plan with reports of complex behaviour from five years ago. If you let those old reports effect everything you see today—even though the child has changed—you are experiencing:

A

Anchoring (Getting stuck on the very first thing you learned about someone)

B

Professionalism

C

Good Judgement

D

Being cautious

A new satellite carer joins your constellation. They are a younger, single dad from a different ethnic background than yours. You find yourself checking in on him more often because you "worry he won't cope" compared to the experienced mums in the group. This is:

A

Just being a good Hub Carer

B

Bias (Assuming someone needs more help just because of their gender, age, or race)

C

A constellation rule

D

Good practice

 A child in the constellation has a physical disability. When planning a group outing to the park, you assume they "won't want to join in" the games, so you don't ask them. This is:

A

Saving them from being embarrassed

B

Disability Bias (Assuming what someone can or can't do without asking them)

C

Good planning

D

Health and Safety rules

A foster carer is asked to take a teenager who has had "multiple placement breakdowns." The carer feels nervous and expects the child to be aggressive. This is called:

A

Confirmation Bias. (confirmation bias is when your brain only sees what it wants to see.)

B

The Halo Effect. this is when you like one thing about a person, so your brain assumes everything else about them is great, too.

C

Positivity Bias. this is the tendency for people to remember, notice, and use positive information more than negative information.

D

Being an experienced carer

What is the most effective way to "break" a bias in a Mockingbird group?

A

Try to stop noticing differences between people

B

Only work with people who are exactly like you.

C

Slow down your decision-making and ask, "Why do I feel this way?" Spend more time with people who are different from you to build real relationships.

D

Set up a constellation with all similar people

You realize you have a bias against a new family in the constellation, what should you do?

A

Avoid them so you don't cause trouble.

B

Slow down and ask yourself, "Why do I feel this way? What am I missing?"

C

Tell the other carers they aren't a good fit.

D

Ask your liaison worker if they can be removed from the constellation.