Although there is some debate among psychologists as to what implicit prejudice is and how best to define it, implicit prejudice is most commonly described as a prejudice (i.e., negative feelings and/or beliefs about a group) that people hold without being aware of it. One can harbor implicit prejudice on the basis of race (implicit racism), sex (implicit sexism), age (implicit ageism), ethnicity (implicit ethnocentrism), or any number of other social groups. Of the various forms of implicit prejudice, implicit racism has probably received the most research attention.

Implicit prejudice is thought to operate automatically, with little intention or control on the part of the person. In addition, people are often unwilling or unable to acknowledge their implicit prejudice. Implicit prejudice can be contrasted with explicit ...