Implicit Bias: Evolution of a Powerful Idea

Implicit bias has been an influential concept in psychology for the same reasons that it has been controversial: It suggests that processes outside of individuals' control, and possibly outside their awareness, may lead to biased and discriminatory behavior. Such a mechanistic explanation for such morally fraught behavior was bound to be controversial. This article overviews the current state of the implicit bias literature with an emphasis on criticisms, both conceptual and empirical, and the ways that implicit bias research has changed in light of those criticisms. I argue that successive methods and theories have gradually improved on earlier efforts in a way that has produced cumulative progress in this field. The article ends by sketching questions for future research and with a call to better integrate person-focused and context-focused theories.