A systemic approach to the psychology of racial bias within individuals and society

Skinner-Dorkenoo, George, Wages, Sánchez, Perry · Nature Reviews Psychology · 2023 · social-psychology · 10.1038/s44159-023-00190-z · record Skinner-Dorkenoo2023-a-systemic-approach-to-the-psychology-of-rac
tag layer · index · concepts · authors · עברית
Where this record's text came from. faceted 2026-08 by reading the locally held text (xml); every evidence string verified as an exact substring of that text before merging. Claim type is a close call. The review carries a real critique of the field ('this approach largely ignores the systemic nature of racial biases and the ways in which racial biases are shaped by the broader cultural systems in which people live'), and one could defensibly tag it 'critique'; I chose 'mechanism' because the substantive body of the article is a causal account of how five systemic factors produce individual bias and how individual bias reproduces the systems, with the critique serving as framing for that account. Caste is the only prior work the review names in a sentence that also states a relation to its own argument — everything else, including the nested-levels models it adopts (refs 17-20), is cited numerically, so those were not recorded as relations. Two evidence-quality signals in the paper that the facets cannot hold: it twice flags supporting studies as preprints that have not undergone peer review, and it explicitly notes that the effect of exposure to cultural products on racial attitudes has never been experimentally tested. The intervention agenda (racial socialization in white families, bias awareness, historical education) is a fifth of the article and has no facet. 2026-08-12 schema-0.3 pass: every quote verified as an exact substring of the staged text and anchored at merge time; concept terms verified present; every edge endpoint an existing node.
5 quotations on this page contain a reference number where the paper printed a superscript. This journal style prints citations as raised numerals — parameters12,13 — and the extraction flattened them into the line, so the sentence reads parameters 12 , 13 . The digits are citation markers and not part of what the author wrote. The quotes keep them for the same reason they keep every other extraction fault: a quote is reproduced exactly or it proves nothing.
This record’s own method is review, and the tags below follow from that. A review’s findings, quantities and statistics are things stated IN this paper, and some of them report results obtained elsewhere. No tag on this page names a different author. Measured across every review in this corpus, 81% of a review’s tags carry no citation at all — most of them are the review speaking. The corpus does not adjudicate the rest: read an unmarked tag as a claim this paper makes, not necessarily one it made first.
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Tags on this paper

Every tag the record carries, each linking to every other paper in the corpus that carries it. A tag appears here whether or not its words occur in the article — the spans below are only the ones a sentence in this paper licenses. Of the 9 concept tags on this paper, all 9 are grounded in a quoted sentence. All carry the tagger's gloss of what the term means in this paper, which is not something the article can license.
racial bias systemic factors individual-level nested levels of influence temporal influences power and privilege cultural narratives implicit bias cultural context Children raised in an unequal society, given no systemic explanation for that inequality, internalize the existing distribution of power and privilege as legitimate Internalized expectations of inequality drive behaviour that maintains the system, so individual attitudes reproduce the very inequality that generated them (a self-reinforcing loop) Nonverbal bias propagates as an expanding transmission system: seeing biased signals creates biased attitudes, which are then expressed as biased signals that others in the social network observe and adopt Devaluing cultural products lets people transmit racial bias while believing they are only judging the product, hiding the bias from the person holding it system justification: growing up inside an unequal arrangement without an explanation for it leads children and adults to conclude the arrangement is right structural exposure predicts individual bias - the composition of a university, a neighbourhood's poverty rate, a community's economic mobility all track measured implicit bias backlash: information that inequality is decreasing can raise bias rather than lower it the return path: aggregate individual bias in a county tracks institutional outcomes such as school discipline, so attitudes reconstitute the systems that produced them segregated communities shared stereotypes nonverbal messages intergroup contact racial socialization redlining racially colourblind ideology eminent domain manifest destiny the nested levels of influence individual-level racial bias review

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second readingalternativesan independent re-reading of a facet, recorded whether or not it agrees
relation to other workclaim_relationshow this paper stands to another: agrees, contradicts, extends, qualifies
claim typeclaim_typethe shape of the claim: existence, mechanism, method, critique, prediction, null
concept edgeconcept_edgesan asserted relation between two concepts, with the sentence asserting it
conceptconceptsan idea the paper works with, quoted where the paper uses it
content tagcontent_tagsa finding, definition, quantity, statistic or variable named in the paper
contributioncontributionwhat the paper claims to add
limitationlimitationswhat the paper says its evidence cannot support
mechanismmechanismshow the reported effect is said to come about
methodmethodhow the paper produced its evidence
object of studyobject_of_studywhat the paper is about — the thing it investigates
phenomenonphenomenonthe effect or regularity under study
research questionresearch_questionthe question the paper sets itself
sensesensesa distinct use of a term, quoted where the paper fixes it
transfertransfersa method or concept carried in from another field

The paper

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Every tag on this page

alternatives 2 · claim_relations 4 · claim_type 1 · concept_edges 3 · concepts 9 · content_tags 33 · contribution 1 · limitations 8 · mechanisms 8 · method 1 · object_of_study 1 · phenomenon 1 · research_question 1 · senses 3 · transfers 1

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facettagfieldconf.whose words
object_of_studyThe two-way relation between racial biases held by individuals and the societal systems those individuals live in, in the USA.
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object_of_studythe paper's words
research_questionIf racial bias is produced by systems rather than only held by people, what does psychology miss by measuring it one person at a time?
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research_questionthe paper's words
contributionA nested-levels framework in which five systemic factors shape individual bias and individual bias feeds back to reproduce those systems.
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contributionthe paper's words
claim_typemechanism
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claim_typethe paper's words
phenomenonracial bias
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phenomenonthe paper's words
methodreview
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also in: review
methodthe paper's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[0]the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[1]the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[2]the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[3]the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[4]1.0the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[5]1.0the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[6]1.0the tagger's words
mechanismsmechanisms
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mechanisms[7]1.0the tagger's words
limitationsScope is restricted to the USA, chosen for the authors' cultural knowledge and the location of most existing research.
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what this limits: the geographic scope of every claim: WE FOCUS ON THE USA BECAUSE IT IS THE CONTEXT THAT WE HAVE THE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE TO DISCUSS AND WHERE MOST RESEARCH ... HAS BEEN CONDUCTED
limitations[0]the tagger's words
limitationsThe five systemic factors reviewed are a selection, not an exhaustive set.
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what this limits: the completeness of the systemic account: THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY SYSTEMIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RACIAL BIASES
limitations[1]the tagger's words
limitationsFor part of the reviewed evidence the direction of influence between individual bias and system is not established, only association.
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what this limits: the causal reading of the reviewed evidence: IN SOME CASES THERE IS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE CAUSAL CHAIN ... WHEREAS IN OTHERS, THERE MIGHT BE EVIDENCE OF AN ASSOCIATION
limitations[2]the tagger's words
limitationsThe empirical base linking systemic influences to individual-level bias is described as still thin.
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what this limits: the weight of the evidence base: THE LITERATURE IN THIS AREA IS STILL RELATIVELY SPARSE
limitations[3]the tagger's words
limitationsRestricted to the USA by the authors' own statement, and the paper says the systemic factors may not transfer.
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what this limits: the transfer of the framework beyond the USA: THE SYSTEMIC FACTORS THAT PERPETUATE RACIAL BIASES INTO THE PRESENT MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT DISTINCT FROM OTHER CONTEXTS
limitations[4]1.0the tagger's words
limitationsThe causal direction is not established throughout - in places only an association is available.
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duplicate of: limitations[2] · what this limits: the same scope as limitations[2] - association rather than causal chain in places
limitations[5]1.0the tagger's words
limitationsThe five factors are chosen, not exhaustive, and the authors say so.
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duplicate of: limitations[1] · what this limits: the same scope as limitations[1] - five factors chosen, not exhaustive
limitations[6]1.0the tagger's words
limitationsMutual reinforcement is treated as two separable directions for expositional clarity, which is an analytic simplification the paper flags.
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what this limits: any one-directional use of this review: INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL BIASES AND BROADER SOCIETAL SYSTEMS MIGHT BE MUTUALLY REINFORCING, BUT FOR CLARITY WE TAKE THE APPROACH OF ASSESSING EACH DIRECTION OF INFLUENCE SEPARATELY - the loop is cut for exposition
limitations[7]1.0the tagger's words
transfersthe nested-levels model of influence, imported to relate individual racial bias to the systems around it
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transfers[0]1.0the tagger's words
conceptsracial bias
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also in: racial bias
concepts[0]1.0the paper's words
conceptssystemic factors
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concepts[1]1.0the paper's words
conceptsindividual-level
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concepts[2]1.0the paper's words
conceptsnested levels of influence
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concepts[3]1.0the paper's words
conceptstemporal influences
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concepts[4]1.0the paper's words
conceptspower and privilege
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concepts[5]1.0the paper's words
conceptscultural narratives
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concepts[6]1.0the paper's words
conceptsimplicit bias
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also in: implicit bias
concepts[7]1.0the paper's words
conceptscultural context
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concepts[8]1.0the paper's words
sensesbias - a property of a PERSON: an attitude favouring one group, measured on individuals in response to stimuli
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senses[0]1.0the tagger's words
sensesbias - a property of a SYSTEM: patterns built into institutions and culture, which produce individual attitudes rather than summing them
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senses[1]1.0the tagger's words
senseslevel - a nested shell of context around the person: interpersonal, community, cultural, temporal
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senses[2]1.0the tagger's words
alternativesclaim_type: mechanism
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a second reading reaching the same value. Recorded: mechanism — note: a second reading reaching the same value from a different sentence. Not applied - a person decides.
alternatives.claim_typethe tagger's words
alternativesphenomenon: bidirectional relation between systemic racial inequality and individual-level racial bias
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a second reading DIFFERING from the recorded value. Recorded: racial bias — note: a second reading, verbatim-verified, disagreeing with the value on the record. Not applied - a person decides.
alternatives.phenomenonthe tagger's words
claim_relationsbuilds-on → Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents
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claim_relations[0]the tagger's words
claim_relationsbuilds-on → prior arguments (ref. 11) that individuals and systems mutually reinforce one another in organizations and the workplace
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claim_relations[1]the tagger's words
claim_relationscontradicts → the individual-level tradition in the psychology of racial bias
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claim_relations[2]0.9the tagger's words
claim_relationsextends → nested-levels models from race relations, human development and culture research
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claim_relations[3]1.0the tagger's words
concept_edgessystemic factors —causes→ racial bias
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strength of the relation: 1
concept_edges[0]the tagger's words
concept_edgespower and privilege —part-of→ systemic factors
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strength of the relation: 1
concept_edges[3]the tagger's words
concept_edgescultural narratives —part-of→ systemic factors
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strength of the relation: 1
concept_edges[4]the tagger's words
content_tagsThe review considers the effects of five systemic factors on racial bias in the USA: power and privilege disparities, cultural narratives and values, segregated communities, shared stereotypes and nonverbal messages.
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content_tags.findings[0]the tagger's words
content_tagsThe relation runs in both directions: each of the five systemic factors shapes individual-level bias, and individual-level bias in turn shapes systems and inequalities at every nested level.
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content_tags.findings[1]the tagger's words
content_tagsTelling white Americans that the country is becoming more racially diverse increases, rather than decreases, their bias in favour of white people.
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content_tags.findings[2]the tagger's words
content_tagsLiving in a state with more Black residents was associated with increased racial bias only among white residents with limited close contact with Black people.
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content_tags.findings[3]the tagger's words
content_tagsColourblind ideology functions to keep policies that are formally race-neutral racially biased in their effects.
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content_tags.findings[4]the tagger's words
content_tagsBecause the cultural products of people of colour are devalued at a societal level, individuals develop bias against those who use and produce them.
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content_tags.findings[5]the tagger's words
content_tagsIndividual bias devalues and negatively stereotypes physical spaces occupied by people of colour, which makes those spaces less desirable to white people and so reinforces residential segregation.
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content_tags.findings[6]the tagger's words
content_tagsThe causal effect of exposure to cultural products on racial attitudes has never been tested experimentally, which the authors identify as an open gap.
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content_tags.findings[7]the tagger's words
content_tagsMarkers of structural inequality in a person's surroundings predict their measured implicit bias.
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content_tags.findings[8]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsBeing told the country is becoming more diverse increased pro-white bias rather than reducing it.
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content_tags.findings[9]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsAggregate individual bias tracks institutional outcomes: county-level bias predicts racial disparities in school suspensions, expulsions and police referrals.
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content_tags.findings[10]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsGreater individual anti-Black bias was associated with a lower likelihood of voting for Obama in 2008 and less support for his healthcare reform.
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content_tags.findings[11]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsThe authors judge interventions aimed at individual attitudes unlikely to address the systemic causes of bias.
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content_tags.findings[12]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsracial bias
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also in: racial bias
content_tags.definitions[0]the tagger's words
content_tagsintergroup contact
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content_tags.definitions[1]the tagger's words
content_tagsracial socialization
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content_tags.definitions[2]the tagger's words
content_tagsredlining
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also in: redlining
content_tags.definitions[3]the tagger's words
content_tagsracially colourblind ideology
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content_tags.definitions[4]the tagger's words
content_tagseminent domain
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content_tags.definitions[5]the tagger's words
content_tagsmanifest destiny
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content_tags.definitions[6]the tagger's words
content_tagsracial bias
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also in: racial bias
content_tags.definitions[7]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsthe nested levels of influence
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content_tags.definitions[8]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagstemporal influences
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content_tags.definitions[9]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsapproximately 40% — share of US residents in 2020 polling who thought that paying less attention to race would improve racial inequality
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content_tags.quantities[0]the tagger's words
content_tagsroughly five times — Black-to-white ratio of US incarceration rates as of 2021
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content_tags.quantities[1]the tagger's words
content_tags75% — share of neighbours who are white for the average white American, as an index of residential segregation
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content_tags.quantities[2]the tagger's words
content_tags40% — proportion of preschool children exposed to biased nonverbal signals who then copied those signals themselves
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content_tags.quantities[3]the tagger's words
content_tags67% ... less than 8% — share of South African top management positions held by white people in 2017, versus their share of the population
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content_tags.quantities[4]the tagger's words
content_tags100 times higher — the War on Drugs sentencing ratio between substances used disproportionately by Black versus white Americans
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content_tags.quantities[5]the tagger's words
content_tags57% ... 30% — how often observers attributed their attitude towards a target to the target's own behaviour rather than to the biased treatment the target received
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content_tags.quantities[6]the tagger's words
content_tagsfive systemic factors — the factors the review covers: power and privilege, cultural narratives and values, segregated communities, shared stereotypes, nonverbal messages
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content_tags.quantities[7]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagssystemic factors
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content_tags.variables[0]1.0the tagger's words
content_tagsindividual-level racial bias
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content_tags.variables[1]0.85the tagger's words

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