Distributed Bias: A Distributed Cognition Approach to the Emergence of Institutional Bias

Academic Abstract Prejudice and discrimination operate at individual and systemic levels, yet much remains unknown about how bias transcends from the individual to shape the behaviors and cognitions of social systems. Distributed cognition theory offers a needed perspective in this gap, positing that cognition is not confined to individual minds, but rather is distributed across individuals and environments throughout time. As such, system-level outcomes are not directly predictable from the cognitive properties of individuals but instead emerge from interactions of individuals with one another and with their environments. Here, a distributed bias approach is proposed, such that individuals within institutions and broader social systems interact with each other and the complex array of tools in their environments, transforming the cognitive processes involved in group-based discrimination, consequently propagating systemic institutional bias. This approach offers a new mechanistic foundation for the emergence of institutional bias and proposes several avenues for future research and application. Public Abstract Social prejudices and acts of discrimination are typically considered to exist within individual hearts and minds. However, these attitudes and practices are also woven into the neighborhoods where we live, the organizations that employ us, and the schools in which our children learn. They color the fabric of society itself. How does personal bias grow into something larger, shaping entire institutions and social systems? This work proposes that prejudice emerges not only from the minds of individuals, but also from people interacting with each other and the structures around them. The proposed perspective helps explain why bias on this higher level persists even when some individuals may not intend harm. By understanding these hidden mechanisms, we can better identify ways to interrupt bias at these different levels, creating more equitable policies and social institutions.