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Description: Much prior work has documented contexts where discrimination occurs or tested interventions that reduce discrimination. Less is known about the process by which discriminatory behavior emerges and the mechanisms through which successful interventions work. Two studies (N>4500) apply the Diffusion Decision Model (DDM) to the Judgment Bias Task, a novel measure of discrimination. In control conditions, participants gave preferential treatment (acceptance to a hypothetical honor society) to more physically attractive applicants. DDM analyses revealed participants initially favored attractive candidates and physical attractiveness was also accumulated as evidence of being qualified. Two interventions—raising awareness of bias and asking for more deliberative judgments—reduced discrimination through separate impacts onDDM parameters. Raising awareness reduced biases in drift rates while increasing deliberation raised decision thresholds. This work offers insight into how discrimination emerges and may aid future efforts in developing interventions to lessen discrimination.