By: Lediya dumessa
Those who look at brain processes to explain prejudice rely on neuroimaging results that show activities when individuals are presented with a face from a different race or group (Chekroud et al., 2014). While Devine and colleagues (2008) argue that this suggests an innateness nature for prejudice they also highlight the brain’s ability to control negative biases and focus on non-race based goal within human interactions. Moreover evidence suggests that all humans have implicit prejudice (unconscious underlying negative feelings towards a member of an out-group) and the difference is in whether or not the individual is motivated enough to actively try to suppress it. While it is comforting to know that with effort we have the capability to control our prejudices, it requires motivation and recognition of our own beliefs as “biases” in order to do so.
The environmental based explanation on the other hand posits that prejudice is learned, for example as a result of early life experiences (Teizer et al., 2013) and as such, can be unlearned. Increasing the diversity of young children’s social environment for example could facilitate exposure to and knowledge about members of other groups, which may lessen the fear and mistrust often associated with prejudice. Researchers do recognize the interplay between nature and environment and both views communicate hope in humans’ ability to minimize prejudice-elimination is a stretch.
References
- Chekroud, A. M., Everett, J. A., Bridge, H., & Hewstone, M. (2014). A review of neuroimaging studies of race-related prejudice: does amygdala response reflect threat?. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 8, 179.
- Devine, P. G., Plant, E. A., Amodio, D. M., Harmon-Jones, E., & Vance, S. L. (2002). The regulation of explicit and implicit race bias: the role of motivations to respond without prejudice. Journal of personality and social psychology, 82(5), 835.
- Fiske, S. T. (2000). Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the seam between the centuries: Evolution, culture, mind, and brain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(3), 299-322.
- Telzer, E. H., Flannery, J., Shapiro, M., Humphreys, K. L., Goff, B., Gabard-Durman, L., ... & Tottenham, N. (2013). Early experience shapes amygdala sensitivity to race: an international adoption design. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(33), 13484-13488.