Mahzarin Banaji and Nalini Ambady transformed American psychology by revealing how unconscious judgments shape human behavior. In 1998, the Implicit Association Test, co-developed by Banaji, transformed how institutions measure unconscious bias across research, education, business, and law enforcement. Ambady’s pioneering research on “thin slices” demonstrated that people form remarkably consistent judgments from brief social encounters. Together, their work reshaped American understanding of bias, perception, and decision-making.
