MEASURING IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE CURATION OF CULTURAL ARCHIVAL CONTENT THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS

Abstract

Curation of cultural archival material has generally been thought of as a neutral activity. However, unexamined biases may unconsciously affect the decision-making process associated with assessing, describing, and contextualizing archival materials. This research project will measure and study implicit bias in the archival domain by utilizing the tools of social psychological inquiry such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT), cognitive dissonance scales, and assessments of heuristic knowledge. This study invites professional archivists and cultural curators to participate in a multi-modal assessment of curation to intentionally recognize implicit biases that impact how decisions are made about what cultural narratives are kept or not kept in archival description. Additionally, we will be evaluating if implicit biases vary by the procedures and policies upheld in archival institutions, primarily curatorial background, and recognizing diversity in cultural narratives. The study concludes that even the most well-meaning curators will still have implicit biases that privilege certain cultural narratives, which impacts individuals’ encoding of collective memory and cultural representation. Participants are provided with opportunities to mitigate bias, and to promote user-positivity protocols, curator education/training, and psychological feedback loops in archival work, as a way of creating greater equity and inclusivity in determining cultural memory.