
Marina Muun for NPR Marina Muun for NPR hide caption
Marina Muun for NPR
Marina Muun for NPRMarina Muun for NPR Marina Muun for NPR hide caption
Marina Muun for NPR
Marina Muun for NPRIs there a part of ourselves that we don't acknowledge, that we don't even have access to and that might make us ashamed if we encountered it?
Is there a part of ourselves that we don't acknowledge, that we don't even have access to and that might make us ashamed if we encountered it? We begin with a woman whose left hand takes instructions from a different part of her brain. It hits her, and knocks cigarettes out of her hand and makes her wonder: who is issuing the orders? Is there some other "me"in there I don't know about? We then ask this question about one of the central problems of our time: racism. Scientific research has shown that even well meaning people operate with implicit bias - stereotypes and attitudes we are not fully aware of that nonetheless shape our behavior towards people of color. We examine the Implicit Association Test, a widely available psychological test that popularized the notion of implicit bias. And we talk to people who are tackling the question, critical to so much of our behavior: what does it take to change these deeply embedded concepts? Can it even be done?