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Source for
graphic: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/psych-11c/deck/6417095
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Are you truly aware of your unconscious thoughts, attitudes,
preferences, and stereotypes? Do you
have a preference for thin people (versus overweight), abled persons (versus
disabled), men in the field science (versus women), or young people (versus
old)? More than likely, you answered no
to all of these questions. Few of us
would admit a preference for one group over another; but our unconscious minds
may tell us something different.
The Implicit
Association Test (IAT) was originally developed in 1998 by three professors
(from Harvard University, University of Washington, and University of Virginia)
to explore the “unconscious roots of thinking and feeling”. The test grew from research in the area of
implicit social cognition, a term used to describe the cognitive processes that
occur outside of our conscious control or awareness (Greenwald & Banaji,
1995).
The IAT is designed to measure our instinctive associations
between concepts like skin color or religion and attributes like
good/bad or male/female. After choosing
a test to take, you will be presented with a set of images or words that you
need to quickly categorize into groups (e.g. abled/disabled, good/bad). The test is timed to elicit your first
instinct, without thinking too much. For
example you will press a button with your left-hand to categorize something as
“Black” or “good” and a button with your right-hand to categorize something as
“White” or “bad”. Then, the categories
switch. Your answers, as well as the
length of time it takes for you to categorize, contribute to your result (e.g.
“little to no automatic preference between Black persons and White persons”).
You may be surprised by your results! The good news is that your results include an
explanation, research support, and a table like this showing the results of
everyone who has taken the test:
I encourage you to take the time to complete one or more of
the Implicit Association Tests. It might
just change your mind!
Thank you, Dr. I, for sharing this blog post. I just took my first implicit test and the results were a bit surprising.
Oh my,
Jen
Reference:
Greenwa ld, A. G.,
& Banaji , M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem,
and stereotypes. Psychological Review,
102(1), 4–27.
