Our Solutions

why work with Perception?

Our Solutions are research-backed & evidence-based

We work collaboratively to affect sustainable change

We foster
Dignity & belonging

Innovators in Mind Science Research

Perception Institute was founded to understand why holding egalitarian values doesn’t always translate into behavior that aligns with those values. We turned to social psychology and neuroscience and identified three intersecting unconscious phenomena that explain this paradox: implicit bias, identity anxiety, and stereotype threat. But individuals can’t solve societal challenges alone, and our unconscious minds are shaped by the world around us.

This work requires understanding the interplay of structural, institutional, and interpersonal dynamics, and how they affect us as individuals. Genuine “mind science” research includes insights from social psychology and neuroscience, as well as law, sociology, political science, anthropology, and history.

As mind science research analysts and data interpreters, we use this knowledge to analyze how implicit bias, identity anxiety, and stereotype threat interrupt interpersonal dynamics in varied environments. The information we gather helps us improve everyday interactions and better understand how narratives influence structures and institutions, as well as social identities.

These insights help us develop interventions that lead to the world we all want to live in.

how we work

The reality is this. Systems exist that favor certain groups over others. This bias can lead to oppression that prevents people from living authentically without fear of prejudice. Our evidence-based approach identifies and examines these behaviors and creates transformative solutions that promote equity, inclusion and belonging.

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Our services

Tailored Solutions
to reduce harmful practices

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Organizational Assessments

Many organizations are deeply committed to building a sense of belonging for all staff, and ensuring equity in their practice, but are falling short – and they don’t know why. Through rigorous data gathering – including approaches such as a Climate & Belonging Survey, individual interviews and focus groups – Perception’s team gathers relevant insights related to identity dynamics. The aim is to surface areas of strength and areas of opportunity, as well as to develop targeted recommendations for the organization moving forward. In this way, Perception provides a data-driven strategy to help organizations live out their values.
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Affinity Spaces

Internal and external challenges related to identity impact us in different ways, depending on our lived experience. Affinity spaces provide the opportunity for people with shared identities to come together, process reactions to experiences, and examine useful strategies. For those in underrepresented groups, we offer tools to navigate diverse spaces and how to self-advocate. For those in dominant groups, we offer tools and resources to build accountability. By engaging people across institutions, affinity spaces create a path toward collective action.
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Connection Circles

Structured to build community. Circles cultivate a brave space for discussion – specifically designed to balance autonomy, equality, and belonging, and to acknowledge shared values, which build authentic connections. Circles help surface the collective wisdom of a group, hold space for sharing our individual experiences, and encourage the practice of deep listening. In circles, participants share to be known and listen to know. In this way, the affective dimension of the human person is balanced with the cognitive dimension.
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Mind Science Workshops

Drawing upon the latest research evidence, we create sector-specific workshops on the mind science of identity difference. The aim is to provide a foundational understanding of unconscious challenges linked to identity and strategies to live our values of equity at an individual and institutional level. Our workshops range in length and are adaptable to audiences of all sizes.

Mind Science Workshops Cover:

  • Our society’s current racial paradox: values of equity and disparate outcomes.
  • How our unconscious brains operate.
  • Perception’s Core Concepts (implicit bias, identity anxiety, and stereotype threat) and how they play out in relevant contexts.
  • Evidence-based strategies to prevent and override implicit bias, racial anxiety, and stereotype threat—including interventions at the interpersonal and institutional level.
  • Communication strategies to reduce polarization and racial anxiety.
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Specialized Workshops

For groups with a foundational understanding of the science or who are looking for a more specialized focus, we also provide Specialized Workshops.

  • Equity Strategy at the Board/Senior Leadership level
  • Fairness in Hiring Practices
  • Feedback / Performance Management
  • How to Talk to Your Kids About Race (parent focus)
  • Narratives & Content Creation
  • Resilience & Accountability: Responding to Microaggressions
  • Deep Dive on Strategies
  • Sacred Symbols: Exploring the History of Pride and Pain in the U.S.