White Participants' Perceptions of Implicit Bias Interventions in U.S. Courts.

Abstract

Objective: U.S. courts have implemented interventions educating jurors about implicit bias, although evidence for their effectiveness remains limited. We explored public perceptions of these interventions that might influence their ability to improve trial fairness and identified psychological factors predicting such perceptions. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that certain psychological factors (i.e., political conservatism, psychological reactance, skepticism toward social scientists, implicit and explicit racial bias, advantaged-group identity management strategies) would predict support for implicit bias interventions in courts. Method: White participants (N = 1016)-some of whom watched an implicit bias intervention in one of two formats (educational video, judicial instructions)-provided their perceptions of implicit bias interventions, evaluated the intervention they watched (if applicable), and completed individual difference measures. Results: Overall, participants supported implicit bias interventions in both formats. However, political conservatism and other hypothesized individual difference measures were associated with less favorable perceptions. We further explored participants' perspectives via a thematic content analysis of open-ended impressions of the interventions. Conclusions: Courts are adopting implicit bias interventions despite mixed research regarding their effectiveness and a limited understanding of how they are perceived. Our findings suggest that White participants generally favor these interventions and offer insight into the nuances of their perceptions.