"Accessible and authoritative . . . While we may not have much power to eradicate our own
prejudices we can counteract them. The first step is to turn a hidden bias into a visible one.
. . . What if we're not the magnanimous people we think we are?"-The Washington Post I know my
own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are
challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore
the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age
gender race ethnicity religion social class sexuality disability status and nationality.
"Blindspot" is the authors' metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
Writing with simplicity and verve Banaji and Greenwald question the extent to which our
perceptions of social groups-without our awareness or conscious control-shape our likes and
dislikes and our judgments about people's character abilities and potential. In Blindspot
the authors reveal hidden biases based on their experience with the Implicit Association Test
a method that has revolutionized the way scientists learn about the human mind and that gives
us a glimpse into what lies within the metaphoric blindspot. The title's "good people" are
those of us who strive to align our behavior with our intentions. The aim of Blindspot is to
explain the science in plain enough language to help well-intentioned people achieve that
alignment. By gaining awareness we can adapt beliefs and behavior and "outsmart the machine"
in our heads so we can be fairer to those around us. Venturing into this book is an invitation
to understand our own minds. Brilliant authoritative and utterly accessible Blindspot is a
book that will challenge and change readers for years to come. Praise for Blindspot
"Conversational . . . easy to read and best of all it has the potential at least to change
the way you think about yourself."-Leonard Mlodinow The New York Review of Books "Banaji and
Greenwald deserve a major award for writing such a lively and engaging book that conveys an
important message: Mental processes that we are not aware of can affect what we think and what
we do. Blindspot is one of the most illuminating books ever written on this topic."-Elizabeth
F. Loftus Ph.D. distinguished professor University of California Irvine past president
Association for Psychological Science author of Eyewitness Testimony
