What Social Science Says Parents Can Do About Implicit Bias

If you thought experiments about race were a thing of the past, Sylvia Perry has news for you. In her social psychology lab at Northwestern University, she’s trying to figure out where racial bias comes from. She is finding that talking about race with children decreases prejudice. She tells Dianne how her career was shaped by her own upbringing as a Black girl in the rural South, and she offers guidance for caregivers on how to lead these conversations, including sharing examples of how she’s helped her own Black son take pride in his heritage.

Episode Resources:

Talking to your kids about race can reduce bias, a Northwestern professor found, a radio story from WBEZ Chicago

Sylvia Perry: Understanding and Encouraging White American Parent-child Conversations about Race, a video from the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding

Disrupting Racism and Bias at Home, at School, and at Work, an article from Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research

Discussion Guide: Early Risers Season 6 Episode 6 Discussion Guide