Toward a comprehensive understanding of executive cognitive function in implicit racial bias

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Implicit bias tasks are often viewed solely through automatic associations.
• Executive functions (EFs) are increasingly recognized as influencing these tasks.
• Previous research had limitations in scope and sample size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively model the relationship between individual differences in EFs and racial bias expression.
• To examine this relationship across three common laboratory measures of racial bias.
• To investigate the moderating role of EFs on automatic processes and motivation.

Main Methods:

• 485 participants completed a battery of EF tasks and three racial bias tasks.
• Individual difference questionnaires were also administered.
• A comprehensive modeling approach was used to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Implicit bias measures showed weak intercorrelations.
• EFs and automatic processes both predicted bias, with EFs reducing the automatic-bias link.
• Specific EF facets differentially related to bias measures, and EF moderated external motivation's effect on bias.

Conclusions:

• EFs play a crucial role in modulating implicit racial bias expression.
• Both global and specific EF abilities are important.
• External motivation to control prejudice is more effective in reducing bias when supported by EFs.