Banaji and Greenwald open with a finding central to the entire book: implicit bias can and does exist in people who consciously and genuinely reject prejudice.

Why this finding matters and is often uncomfortable:

• Most people assume their conscious values accurately reflect their automatic mental associations
• Research using the Implicit Association Test consistently reveals gaps between stated values and automatic responses, even among people who study or actively oppose bias
• Accepting this gap exists is presented as a necessary, if uncomfortable, first step toward addressing it honestly

This opening directly confronts a common defensive reaction — 'I'm not prejudiced, so this doesn't apply to me' — with rigorous evidence that implicit bias operates largely independent of conscious, stated belief.