Unconscious bias in higher education: literature review

There has been increasing interest in the concept of unconscious, or implicit, bias and an increasing understanding of the impact that it can have on recruitment and selection decisions.

This literature review aims to help higher education institutions to understand unconscious bias, and discover how to reduce its impact.

Areas covered include:

• Key psychological theories related to unconscious/implicit bias
• Review of research on the impact of implicit bias on decision making, behaviour and actions
• Methods and techniques for reducing unconscious/implicit bias
• Summary of recommendations