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Addressing racial and phenotypic bias in human neuroscience methods

Nature Neuroscience volume 25, pages 410–414 (2022) Cite this article

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Abstract

Despite their premise of objectivity, neuroscience tools for physiological data collection, such as electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, introduce racial bias into studies by excluding individuals on the basis of phenotypic differences in hair type and skin pigmentation. Furthermore, at least one methodology—electrodermal activity recording (skin conductance responses)—may be influenced not only by potential phenotypic differences but also by negative psychological effects stemming from the lived experience of racism. Here we situate these issues within structural injustice, urge researchers to challenge racism in their scientific work and propose procedures and changes that may lead to more equitable science.

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Fig. 1: The potential sources of racial bias in psychophysiological data collection.
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Acknowledgements

E.K.W. was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through grants 2UL1TR001436 and 2TL1TR001437. J.A.K. was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under award F99 NS115331. The contents herein are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We would also like to thank D. Houston for valued guidance.

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Author notes

  1. E. Kate Webb

    Present address: Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA

  2. E. Kate Webb

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    E. Kate Webb

  2. Department of Philosophy, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

    J. Arthur Etter

  3. Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Jasmine A. Kwasa

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  1. E. Kate Webb
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Correspondence to E. Kate Webb.

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Webb, E.K., Etter, J.A. & Kwasa, J.A. Addressing racial and phenotypic bias in human neuroscience methods. Nat Neurosci 25, 410–414 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01046-0

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