Academic Writing and Responsible Research Flashcards

Writing for Change and Persuasion: Academic writers often aim to inspire changes in minds and behaviors. For this to be successful, the writer must look inward to investigate their own beliefs, motivations, and biases before drafting.
Culturally Responsible Writing: To become a culturally responsible writer, one must consider diverse audiences, acknowledging and honoring their unique experiences.
Active vs. Passive Information Consumption: A responsible researcher cannot be idle or passive in the information they ingest. Being an active participant requires intentionally seeking legitimate, relevant, reliable, and varied perspectives.

The Illusion of Innocence: A Cornell University study concluded that individuals often perceive themselves as innocent of bias while judging others as guilty of it (Wang and Jian). People tend to see culpability in others but cling to their own perceived innocence.
Ego Sensitivity: Human egos are often sensitive, leading to resistance when starting the work of self-reflection and analysis. Admitting to bias is the necessary first step.
Tools for Self-Awareness: Tools such as the Harvard Implicit Association Test can help researchers uncover their subconscious shortcomings and perceptions.
My Side Bias: This is a common type of cognitive bias where individuals process information in a manner that is biased toward their own prior beliefs, opinions, and attitudes (Wang and Jian).
- Validation vs. Truth: Writers are often guilty of my side bias when they start a project seeking validation for their existing thoughts rather than pursuing the objective truth.
- Overcoming My Side Bias: To resist this, writers must unpack their perceptions and investigate the origin of their beliefs.

Defining the Cultural Eye: Every individual possesses a unique cultural eye that is formed daily based on environment and experience.
Lenses of Interpretation: Profound influences on our cultural lens include:
- Race and Ethnicity.
- Socioeconomic background.
- Gender identity and Sexuality.
- Health, ability, and physical impairments.
- Religious and political beliefs.
Exercise for Self-Identification:
- Write down as many personal lenses as possible.
- Ask: How have these shaped me? Which work subconsciously? Which originated in childhood?
Empathy and Comparative Perspectives: It is vital to imagine perceptions from the opposite side of the spectrum.
- Health Lens Example: A healthy person might not consider the constant requirement for insulin that someone with diabetes faces.
- Sexuality Lens Example: A straight person might not consider the fears a queer couple feels regarding physical affection in public spaces.
Necessity of Understanding Others: To persuade an audience, a writer must move through their own history to understand why they think the way they do, while also remaining curious about the experiences of those who are different from them.

The Impact of Bias: There are over 100 cognitive biases that affect human interaction. Identifying these makes it easier to notice when curiosity turns into judgment.
Specific Biases to Monitor:
- Confirmation Bias: Similar to my side bias, we seek "our truth" rather than the truth.
  - Example: Searching for "Why are so many homeless people addicted to drugs?" (assuming a relationship) vs. "What is the correlation between drug addiction and homelessness?" (questioning if one exists).
- In-group Favoritism: Identifying with a specific group and believing members within that group are superior. This ranges from sports teams (harmless) to political affiliations (more harmful).
- Declineism: The belief that society is in decline, often involving a romanticized view of the past that ignores historical injustices.
  - Context: Slogans like "Make America Great Again" were empowering to some but hurtful to people of color and queer people who have faced centuries of injustice.
- Anchoring: Making decisions based only on the first piece of information received rather than the full analytical picture.
  - Example: Believing a TED Talk stating teen obesity is at its worst, only to later realize the data was over a decade old and no longer accurate.
- Availability Bias: Relying on existing knowledge or formed assumptions to avoid the effort of seeking additional, foundational research. This is often exacerbated by students' demanding schedules.

Consumption Statistics:
- $86\%$ of Americans report getting news from a smartphone, computer, or tablet.
- $53\%$ of people admit to receiving news from social media platforms.
Homogeneity in Social Circles: In early adulthood, peer groups may appear diverse but are often homogeneous. If everyone in a group looks and thinks similarly, it is difficult to observe different perspectives.
Evaluating Information Sources:
- Media Bias Charts: Sites like "Ad Fontes" or "AllSides Media" provide appraisals of political leanings and the reliability of various sources.
- Fact-Checking Tools: Researchers should use Pointer’s "MediaWise" project and Mike Caulfield’s "SIFT" moves (lateral reading) to assist in the research process.
Maintenance of Habits: Revising scrolling habits requires intentional attention and constant maintenance.

Writer Responsibility: Failing to examine one's own behavior can make a writer an impediment to someone else's quality of life or progress toward equality.
The Goal of Tangible Change: To write material that changes communities, writers must acknowledge bias, analyze the origin of their beliefs, and take proactive steps to remain objective.
Perspective of Verna Myers: The VP of Strategy and Inclusion at Netflix states that awareness should be approached with "low guilt but high responsibility." She asks: "Once you know these biases are wrong, what do you want to do about it?"
The Freedom of Critical Thinking: While the process of becoming conscious of beliefs can be uncomfortable, it ultimately grants the freedom to be a critical thinker, allowing for writing with empathy, purpose, and the power to create change.