Increasingly, legal scholars and empirical social scientists have collaborated to examine social issues and possible legal responses. However, little cooperative work thus far has been done on inequality. As a result, many social scientists have an overly simplistic view of the law’s ability to be put in place, interpreted effectively, and used to combat inequality. At the same time, legal scholars have a poor grasp on the empirical research done on inequality.

In America today, overt acts of discrimination are frowned upon and often dubbed unlawful. Yet social psychology suggests that a powerful unconscious bias may influence the way in which we view and treat members of certain groups. Even absent flagrant discrimination, this implicit prejudice can undermine civil rights laws and efforts at promoting equal opportunity. To what extent does this unconscious bias exist? How accurate are existing measures of bias? Can we reduce this prejudice by bringing its existence to light?