Cuts on the bias.After taking some of the bias tests, I am very skeptical ("The Bias Finders: A test of unconscious attitudes polarizes psychologists," SN: 4/22/06, p. 250). Since the major tool is speed of reaction, and since my eyes are not too good now, the results were very curious and probably totally unreliable: Though a lifelong, unprejudiced un·prej·u·diced adj. Free from prejudice; impartial. See Synonyms at fair1. unprejudiced Adjective free from bias; impartial Adj. 1. heterosexual, the test has me biased in favor of gays; as a lifelong champion of color blindness regarding race, I am indicated as being biased against blacks. Sorry, I don't buy either of these results. TIBOR TIBOR Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate TIBOR Tokyo Interbank Rate R. MACHAN, SILVERADO, CALIF. I took the IAT IAT Intelligent Agent Technology IAT International Conference on Intelligent Agent Technology (Joint IEEE, WIC, and ACM conference) IAT Implicit Association Test IAT Intake Air Temperature IAT Import Address Table racial-prejudice test several months ago. The reversal between the first half of the test (whites good) and the second half (blacks good) also reverses the presentation of the choices to be clicked. It was a bit like buying a new laptop and having to get used to the shift key in a different position. I could feel myself slowing down. Obviously, I wound up with a score of "biased," although nothing else in my life supports that conclusion. I find it interesting that about half of the blacks taking the test also have a "pro-white bias." Perhaps, in addition to bias, the test measures the speed with which a person learns or unlearns a given multiple-choice pattern. It would have been more confidence inspiring if the researchers had controlled for that factor before using the test to draw broad conclusions about racial attitudes. MIA MIA n. A member of the armed services who is reported missing following a combat mission and whose status as to injury, capture, or death is unknown. [m(issing) i(n) a(ction). MOLVRAY, PORT HUENEME, CALIF. During my years of world travel, I've noticed a color bias everywhere. Black is associated with death, impurity, and the unknown; white with purity, cleanliness, life, and spirituality. The two colors, by themselves, evoke a bias in all people. If researchers say they have taken this into account, I'd love to know how. CARL ABBOTT, SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. Since xenophobia Xenophobia Boxer Rebellion Chinese rising aimed at ousting foreign interlopers (1900). [Chinese Hist. and ethnocentrism ethnocentrism, the feeling that one's group has a mode of living, values, and patterns of adaptation that are superior to those of other groups. It is coupled with a generalized contempt for members of other groups. are traits in all known human populations, it is probable that these traits are in part hardwired, rather than totally learned. Therefore, it's not surprising that the IAT finds these traits even among those who profess to be free of ethnic and racial prejudice. DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. M. GILLIAM, DERWOOD, MD. |
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