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

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Law and Social Science
• Sociology

Background:

• U.S. courts increasingly use implicit bias interventions for jurors.
• Evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions is limited.
• Public perception of these interventions may impact trial fairness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore public perceptions of implicit bias interventions in courts.
• To identify psychological factors influencing support for these interventions.
• To understand how these interventions are perceived by White participants.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 1016 White participants on perceptions of implicit bias interventions.
• Participants viewed interventions (video or judicial instructions) or not.
• Individual difference measures (political conservatism, bias, reactance) were collected.

Main Results:

• Overall support for implicit bias interventions was found across formats.
• Political conservatism and other individual differences predicted less favorable perceptions.
• Thematic analysis revealed nuances in participants' open-ended impressions.

Conclusions:

• Courts adopt implicit bias interventions with limited understanding of their reception.
• White participants generally favor these interventions.
• Findings offer insights into perceptions that may affect intervention effectiveness and trial fairness.