Implicit bias is defined as:

• A. Attitude or stereotypes held toward individuals without conscious knowledge
• B. Conscious prejudice or attitudes
• C. Explicit bias
• D. Stereotypes held with awareness

Answer: (A)

Implicit bias refers to attitudes or stereotypes about people that operate outside your conscious awareness. These automatic judgments can influence how you perceive others, interpret actions, and make decisions even when you consciously reject prejudice. You might genuinely hold egalitarian beliefs, yet still react in ways shaped by hidden associations you aren’t aware of. For example, you could unconsciously associate a group with certain traits, subtly affecting your judgments in situations like hiring or evaluating others, without intending to. The option that describes attitudes or stereotypes toward individuals without conscious knowledge captures this nonconscious, automatic aspect. The other descriptions refer to prejudice or stereotypes you are deliberately aware of, which is a different, conscious kind of bias.