Exploring Our Minds' Bias

In his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman provides a model to describe how our brains work when confronted with a situation, problem or words in a conversation. In short, there are two systems, one that provides quick answers by searching for related things we have in our minds. The other is more considerate and able to reason. The author gave a lecture and in it gave a simple description of the two systems. When we are given the equation 2 + 2, we know the answer in an instant, without really thinking. But if we are instead given one like 24 x 17, most people resort to mental calculations to even decide how to approach a solution.

One twist on these two systems of our thinking is that even when a situation arises in which the slower system decides that the faster system has provided a wrong response, the faster system will win the battle. And the faster system does not draw on only one or two sources, but relies on a number of associations built up over time and experiences.

Dr. Kahneman gives examples to show how the fast system can behave in illogical ways in his book. A guest blog on the Scientific American site considers the Trayvon Martin case and uses it to discuss experimental results that show just being aware of cultural stereotypes means a person is more likely to make a fast decision based on bias.

It is interesting then to evaluate these aspects of how we make some decisions based on race in terms of most Americans perceptions of blacks who have immigrated to the United States. The assertion from me is that when a person finds out the black person is not African American, but African, their attitude and way of thinking about them changes. This indicates that the "cultural opinion" of African blacks is much different from those of African Americans. And it is my view that this different cultural opinion had what amounts to a profound impact on the last presidential election.


Overall, it is impossible to know every reason why people voted for Barack Obama. But it does seem clear that the fact his father was African rather than African American had something to do with the level of acceptance of a black person by a majority of voters. Of course, the fact his mother was white had an irreducible influence on him and therefore on how he is perceived. In light of fast thinking, his African heritage helped the cultural opinion within which he was considered.

I take this further in that I feel the fact that he was not raised in an African American household meant he did not adopt a negative cultural opinion of white people. But this is for consideration at a different time. For now, the hope is that the office held by Mr. Obama will improve the cultural opinion of blacks in this country.