In prior posts, we’ve explored various types of biases in research, including participant bias, sampling bias, cultural bias.

However, bias isn’t limited to research—it’s also a significant factor in how people behave in real-world situations.

When individuals act on their preconceived notions or attitudes, their behavior becomes influenced by bias. One common manifestation is stereotyping—the tendency to make sweeping generalizations about others based on characteristics such as race, gender, or age. This often leads to discrimination, where individuals or groups are treated unfairly due to these biased assumptions.

Steel & Aronson (1995) found that when African American students were reminded of negative stereotypes about their intelligence, their performance on academic tests significantly declined. This phenomenon, known as stereotype threat, shows how stereotypes can directly affect an individual’s behavior, even if they don’t consciously subscribe to those biases.

When stereotypes influence judgment, it can lead to unfair treatment, limited opportunities, and reinforce harmful social norms that affect marginalized groups.

Feel free to check back on this page, could be adding IB-syllabus case studies as we go along.

Read here for more on Bias in Research
Read here for more on Bias, Reductionism