(Michigan State University)
Are Police Officers Biased in the Decision to Shoot? Analyses of Real-World and Laboratory Decision Data
Among academics and the general public, there exists the widespread belief that police officers are racially-biased in their decisions to use deadly force. In this talk, I present data collected in our lab over the last few years from both real-world shootings and simulated laboratory decisions. These data suggest that claims of pervasive racial bias in deadly-force use are unfounded and indicate a misunderstanding of the nature of deadly force decisions and the cognitive processes underlying such decisions. I discuss various points of uncertainty in the data and how future research might productively address these unknowns. Finally, I discuss what we might realistically expect from various training interventions, such as implicit bias training.
The colloquium will be held in Psychology Building 035.