In a recent study conducted by Washington State University, intriguing findings on the impact of police implicit bias training have emerged. The research, led by Dr. Lois James, shows some promising results in terms of improving officer behavior and reducing discrimination complaints, particularly concerning interactions with homeless individuals. While further research is needed to confirm these findings, this study is a significant step forward in understanding the potential effects of such training.
These findings provide some hope that implicit bias training for police officers could promote fairness in how officers interact with community members and improve police-community relationships. This has potential follow on implications for harm reduction and community member involvement with the health care system. Furthermore, implicit bias training has the potential to reduce disparities in how healthcare professionals patients.”
Dr. Lois James, Assistant Dean of Research, WSU College of Nursing
The next step for Dr. James is to develop and evaluate “Counter Bias Training Simulation (CBTsim) Healthcare” – a healthcare version of the simulation-based implicit bias training tested in the policing study. This upcoming work is funded by the National Institute of Minority Healthcare Disparities (NIMHD).
For a more in-depth exploration of this research, read the full article on WSU Insider.
In the news…
- New study on implicit bias of Sacramento Police officers shows ‘modest improvement’ featured on ABC10.com
- Washington State University study finds anti-bias training can benefit police
featured on Think Out Loud, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), October 30, 2023
