Implicit Association Tests

Implicit Association Tests

How Attitude Is Formed

More often than not, attitudes trace their roots from the people’s experiences and upbringing, which also impact their behaviour. Based on the Gawronski and Bodenhausen model, a new implicit attitude is created in a gradual manner over numerous experiences (De Houwer, Beckers, & Moors, 2007). Attitude has been described as a relatively lasting group of behavioural tendencies, feelings, and beliefs towards symbols, events, groups, and socially significant objects (Hogg & Vaughan, 2017). Hogg & Vaughan (2017) add that attitude also entails an overall evaluation or feeling- negative or positive- that an individual has towards an issue, object, or person. Scholars have found that attitudes are based on three components: cognition, behaviour, and emotions (Putri et al., 2022). Further research evidence posits that attitudes are created from psychological needs, genetics, and social interactions, although some scholars have debated on the genetic foundations.

When it comes to behavioural approaches, attitudes can be formed from the impacts of direct experiences such as a traumatic event that triggers a negative attitude, classical conditioning (an association that is repeated), instrumental conditioning (behaviours followed by positive outcomes), and observational learning where individuals are modelled indirectly (Hogg & Vaughan, 2017). Attitude is also learned through cognitive development, where when several related elements, such as beliefs, are increased, the likelihood of a generalized concept- attitude- is apparent (Hogg & Vaughan, 2017). The sources of learning can be peers, parents, the internet, and mass media, which influence people’s beliefs, concepts, emotions, and behaviours upon which attitudes are formed.

How Personal Implicit Biases Can Form Understandings at Local, National, and Global Levels

Personal implicit biases can form understandings in social groups at local, national, and global levels through the impacts they present in various settings. For instance, at a local level, implicit bias may result in what is called stereotype threat, where individuals internalize negative stereotypes regarding themselves on the grounds of group associations (Cherry, 2020). For instance, girls below the age of nine have been taught to have unconscious beliefs of females having a preference for languages to sciences (Cherry, 2020). If these personal implicit beliefs are strengthened, women and girls are likely to pursue language-related courses/careers as opposed to sciences or mathematics-related courses/careers. Accordingly, decision-makers at local levels may be forced to implement interventions that address these biases. For example, if at a school, African American children, especially boys, are expelled more than White children, educators would put in place measures that focus more on challenging behaviours among African American students than on White students.

At the national level, when a government understands that white people stand a higher chance of being employed than black people, they tend to put in place measures that would require employers to minimize discrimination or preferences of one race to another. This explains why so many organizations in the business world are required by national laws to embrace diversity. Besides, this is considered a competitive advantage of a company.

Moreover, some personal implicit biases such as gender bias, race bias, and ability bias have prompted actors around the world to put in place joint efforts and measures such as women empowerment programs, support for persons with disabilities, and inclusivity in leadership roles because these biases have informed decision-makers on the social issues faced in the society.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Implicit Association Tests as Research Tools

One key strength of IAT as a research tool is that it is self-reported, and the results are better when more self-reported cases are documented. Besides, since the test is implicit, the possibility of bias in the research is minimized (Schimmack, 2021). One can argue that the IAT is more reliable because external factors that may impact the results are minimized. Another strength that IAT exhibits is that it can measure behavioral attributes that are difficult to measure through a scientific experiment. For instance, Greenwald & Farnham (2000) attest that self-concept, self-esteem, implicit bias, personality, and racial bias, among other constructs, can be assessed using IAT. However, the implicit forms of constructs, such as racism, cannot be measured even though the test can assess it.

One of the disadvantages of using IAT as a research tool is that one can use the same tool to collect information, but the results can be contradictory since one cannot replicate the study due to how the test is applied (Schimmack, 2021). Moreover, the tests may be linked to cultural knowledge more than to self. Also, the mental and emotional well-being of the participants can affect their responses to the test. For instance, one may have had a tiresome day before taking the test or may be deprived of sleep, which may influence their activeness in responding to the questions and, consequently, the results.

Reflection on the Implicit Association Test and Summary

Upon taking this test, I was unsure what to expect, and I kept asking myself if someone could really tell that I have racial bias just by how I answered the questions. I expected the test to be a normal questionnaire. Reading through the test’s results, some things were surprising to me. I realized that the rate at which I responded to questions or the rate at which I linked things determined whether I had prejudice. For instance, my results on the race test showed that I prefer African American people to White people. This was surprising to me. However, I figured this might be because I have been raised around African American people for a better part of my life. My home, school, neighborhood, and even some family members exhibit African American culture.

References

De Houwer, J., Beckers, T., & Moors, A. (2007). Novel attitudes can be faked on the Implicit Association Test. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(6), 972-978.

Greenwald, A. G., & Farnham, S. D. (2000). Using the implicit association test to measure self-esteem and self-concept. Journal of personality and social psychology, 79(6), 1022.

Hogg, M.A. & Vaughan, G.M. (2017). Social Psychology, Eighth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Putri, K. Y. S., Sutjipto, V. W., Anindhita, W., Romli, N. A., Andriani, Y., & Deianeira, D. R. (2022). Digital Literacy Hoax Information in Indonesian Tourism Area. Journal of Digital Marketing and Communication, 2(1), 1-11.

Schimmack, U. (2021). The Implicit Association Test: A method in search of a construct. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(2), 396-414.

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Take one (gender, age, race, sexuality, disability, or weight) of the Implicit Association Tests (IAT) at the Harvard University website.

In 750-1,000 words, address the following:

Examine how attitude is formed.

Discuss how personal implicit biases can form understandings at a local, national, or global level.

Implicit Association Tests

Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the IAT as a research tool.

Reflect on your personal results from the IAT.

Use three to five scholarly sources to support your thinking, your textbook can be used as one of the resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

MS Psychology

2.2: Evaluate Interpersonal skills.

2.3: Propose values that build community at local, national, or global levels.