Blindspot

By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

I know my own mind.

I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way.

These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality.

Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases. Writing with simplicity and verve, Banaji and Greenwald question the extent to which our perceptions of social groups - without our awareness or conscious control - shape our likes and dislikes and our judgments about people’s character, abilities, and potential.

In Blindspot, the authors reveal hidden biases based on their experience with the Implicit Association Test, a method that has revolutionized the way scientists learn about the human mind and that gives us a glimpse into what lies within the metaphoric blindspot.

The title’s "good people" are those of us who strive to align our behavior with our intentions. The aim of Blindspot is to explain the science in plain enough language to help well-intentioned people achieve that alignment. By gaining awareness, we can adapt beliefs and behavior and "outsmart the machine" in our heads so we can be fairer to those around us. Venturing into this book is an invitation to understand our own minds.

Brilliant, authoritative, and utterly accessible, Blindspot is a book that will challenge and change listeners for years to come.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2013 Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A compelling read.

This is a great book. It's well written with compelling examples. I would recommend it for anyone searching for an easily accessible way to discuss implicit bias. For some it will be eye-opening. For others who already have some experience with these issues, the book is a good summary of the research literature.

5 people found this helpful

Vital reading

Blindspot is a comprehensive survey of social science research on implicit bias, racism, and discrimination in the U.S. While it is written for white people to gently and convincingly teach them about the impact of racism, that is an important project, and anyone could use this book, especially for its coverage of the implicit psychological roots of bias.

4 people found this helpful

Difficult to interpret.

This book does not translate well to the audio book format. It relies heavily upon printed supplemental material, which renders the point of an audiobook moot. it is well narrated, but is best left to the reader.

9 people found this helpful

Great book

Blindspot was weird at some points to be listening to. There are several visual references and activities included in the book that I did not get to participate in when listening to the audio version. Other than that, this book was very interesting and would recommend

1 person found this helpful

Subject was interesting but repetitive

Subject was interesting with good insight. Worth the read but didn't blow me away. I found a few chapters repetitive drawing the same conclusion.

1 person found this helpful

Objective commentary on a mystery .

Why do so many of the white majority (at the moment) think race prejudice has improved significantly while many minorities still feel the consequences of prejudice?
The book establishes and explains the explicit bias and implicit bias gap in each of us. In a time of explosive rhetoric - thoughtful discourse is very insightful. Hopefully, the insights will help bridge our internal gaps as well as extend grace to others who judge the gap between stated beliefs and perceived conflicts of behavior.
Many of our biases are invisible to us. It is like water to a fish.

1 person found this helpful

Soul searching and must read

The ending will ignite your soul with understanding and maybe even anger. However, the good news is your brain is malleable we can overcome.

Very biased based reporting. Disappointing

I was very hopeful for this book. Sadly it fell short. As a PhD researcher I felt this research was full of bias and misleading examples. IT give examples without providing context painting the outcomes they are looking for but to the critical thinker/reader it raised more concern about misinformation being pushed into the minds and hearts of those looking for true guidance and information. Its not all bad, just misleading and bias. I don't have to agree with what I read to gain insight and understanding so this was not a wasted credit. I just wish the research would have been more rounded and not so one sided.

eyes opening

there are lots of facts in this book the research seems like it's carefully done.

Good info

great material, could use more of a writer's touch. felt like the researcher wrote it without a writing editor.