Even trained police and black participants shoot unarmed black figures more

Evidence

Social-science research shows that people instantly categorize others on the basis of distinctions like race. Stereotypes are triggered when we encounter black people and, all too often, prejudice follows. That research also shows that in video simulations, people are more likely to shoot black men. In one study, white and black participants were more inclined to press “shoot” in the game when confronted by an unarmed black person than an unarmed white person. Police officers, even with their training, had similar results. These outcomes aren’t inevitable. We can do something about them. But it requires that we acknowledge how racial stereotypes and bias affect how we see and respond to others. You just can’t ignore racial habits, as Judge Nelson tried to do in the Zimmerman trial, and think that’s the solution to such intractable problems. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Democracy in Black, 222

Categorization

• DEFINE: Grounds the ‘racial habits’ concept in falsifiable lab data (shooter-bias simulations) rather than vague moralizing.