Joshua Yi

T/TH 9:35 Philosophy 205

2/9/16

The implicit bias test I took was the science and liberal arts gender identification test.

After taking the test my results were as follows: Your data suggest a slight association of Male

with Science and Female with Liberal Arts compared to Female with Science and Male with

Liberal Art; these results don’t surprise me in the slightest. The cumulative results, despite their

negative implications, also did not surprise me. The test has some significance in its data,

however, questions still remain in regards to how to interpret this data, them being: is there some

causal relationship we can link to this tendency, and if there is, what is the source of this

tendency- biological, social, cultural, economic, political, a mixture?

The results of this test confirm my expectations and tendencies. Although I do have a

slight tendency to associate fields of Science to men and fields of Liberal Arts to woman, it is on

the less severe end of the spectrum. I believe this tendency comes from the process of

socialization. Sources ranging from the media, to the textbooks we used in school had

tendencies to associate men with careers in Science, while woman were more likely to be

associated with careers in the Liberal Arts. This tendency also stems from a historical and

cultural background where the field of science has been dominated by men.

Despite these influences, I have had personal experiences that dampens the severity of

my bias. As someone who largely defines his identity with his past and current musical history,

my life experience is a contradiction to the tendency of most people to associate women with

Liberal Arts. In addition to my interest in music and art, my academic interests are dominated by

the social sciences and the humanities - sociology, philosophy, psychology, and politics. More

current experiences also dampen my bias; i’ve met many women who are either pursuing a

degree in a field of Science or currently have a career in a scientific field. Inversely, i’ve met

many, many men who currently have successful careers or degrees in Liberal Arts.