Weapon/Tool Test

Split second decisions can reveal prejudices that we aren't aware of ourselves. This is particularly important in split-second decisions with life-or-death consequences, such as police officers have to make. Does a person's skin color affect whether someone views them as a threat?

It does. In a series of tests when B. Keith Payne's team showed people photos of a black face or a white face and then a garden tool or a weapon, when people only had a split second to make the determination, after being shown a photo of a black face, people were more likely to mistake a garden…