Perception Institute

Our Brains on Race®: Insights from Implicit Bias, Racial Anxiety, and Stereotype Threat

Even when we strive for equity for individuals of all different identities, our brains can get in the way of our ability to live out those values. This session will focus on methods to overcome obstacles to fairness, equity, and belonging across various forms of identity differences such as race, ethnicity, and gender. Jessica MacFarlane will explore key concepts from the mind sciences, including implicit bias, racial anxiety, and stereotype threat, to help understand why identity differences can be challenging, even on a campus where individuals hold egalitarian values. This session will include evidence-based strategies to override these phenomena, in order to align behavior with values and foster a more inclusive campus.

Jessica MacFarlane's Bio:

Jessica MacFarlane is a Research Associate at Perception Institute, where she conducts original research studies and translates findings on the mind science of implicit bias, racial anxiety, and stereotype threat. Jessica leads Perception's evidence-based Mind Science Workshops across a variety of sectors, including education and health care, with the aim of equipping individuals and institutions with tools to override unconscious phenomena that get in the way of our ability to fully realize our goals related to equity.

Jessica has a research background in the fields of psychology, HIV prevention, and harm reduction. As part of the Injection Drug Users Health Alliance (IDUHA), Jessica served as the coordinator of a multi-year, community-based evaluation of syringe exchange programs in New York City. Previously, Jessica conducted research at the Duke Global Health Institute, where she managed numerous government-funded studies both domestically and internationally.

Jessica is a co-author on several research articles in academic journals, and with Perception, Jessica has co-authored reports such as The 'Good Hair' Study: Explicit and Implicit Attitudes Toward Black Women's Hair (Perception Institute, 2017), The Science of Equality, Volume 2: The Effects of Gender Roles, Implicit Bias, and Stereotype Threat on the Lives of Women and Girls (Perception Institute, 2016), and #PopJustice, Volume 3: Pop Culture, Perceptions, and Social Change (Liz Manne Strategy, 2016), and articles including "Creating Safety and Community: Preventing Implicit Bias and Racial Anxiety from Undermining Neighborhood Safety" (Poverty & Race Research Action Council, 2016) and "Our Brains & Difference: Implicit Bias, Racial Anxiety, and Stereotype Threat in Education" (CSEE Quarterly, 2016).

Jessica earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where she concentrated in Social Determinants of Health. Her studies focused on the role of anti-black bias in driving the life expectancy gap and other racial disparities in health in the U.S. Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from Duke University.