Sure it is! If you think something substantially different solely because of someone's appearance or group status, then that's the very definition of a cognitiv

Sure it is! If you think something substantially different solely because of someone's appearance or group status, then that's the very definition of a cognitive bias. If that makes you uncomfortable to even consider that possibility, then by all means, keep reinforcing that bias by not thinking about how you might be treating people differently because of something they cannot control. If someone's a bad researcher or gives a bad talk, no need to jump to conclusions about hiring processes, imposters, reverse racism, positive discrimination, and whatever else. That's the real toxicity.