Apply the substitution test to check if a judgment is about identity or behavior
When noticing a habitual judgment about a person or group, apply the substitution test by asking whether you would make the same evaluation if a different person or group were in the identical situation—if the answer is uncertain or negative, you have detected a judgment running on identity rather than behavior.
Why This Is a Rule
Every judgment about a person is a blend of two inputs: their behavior in this situation, and your schema about who they are. The substitution test teases these apart. "Would I make the same judgment if a different person did the identical thing?" If yes, the judgment is about the behavior — it's situation-specific and probably valid. If no or uncertain, the judgment is running on identity — it's your schema about this person, not a response to what actually happened.
This matters because identity-based judgments are self-reinforcing. Once you've categorized someone as "not detail-oriented," every missed detail confirms the schema while every caught detail gets explained away ("well, they probably just got lucky this time"). The substitution test breaks this loop by forcing you to evaluate the behavior independently of the person.
When This Fires
- Forming an opinion about someone's work quality, reliability, or competence
- Evaluating a team's output or approach in a way that might be colored by group reputation
- Making hiring, promotion, or performance assessment decisions
- Any time a judgment about a person or group feels automatic and certain
Common Failure Mode
Running the substitution test and getting a "yes" too quickly. Your first instinct will be to say "of course I'd judge anyone the same way" — because you believe you're fair. The test only works if you genuinely imagine a specific different person (someone you respect, someone from a different background) doing the exact same thing. Generic substitution doesn't test anything. Specific substitution reveals the bias.
The Protocol
When you notice a judgment about a person or group: (1) Name the judgment explicitly: "I am concluding that [person/group] is [evaluation]." (2) Substitute a specific different person/group into the identical situation. (3) Honestly assess: would you reach the same conclusion? (4) If uncertain or no — the judgment is identity-based. Reground it by asking: "What specific behavior am I actually observing, independent of who is doing it?"