Implicit Association Test

Ahnimus

This is wicked!

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

It is well known that people don't always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't always 'know their minds'. Understanding such divergences is important to scientific psychology.

This web site presents a method that demonstrates the conscious-unconscious divergences much more convincingly than has been possible with previous methods. This new method is called the Implicit Association Test, or IAT for short.

In addition, this site contains various related information. The value of this information may be greatest if you try at least one test first...

Ahnimus

Oh btw, I put this on the MT because it relates to biases and it should prove rather interesting to general debate.

Ahnimus

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Thin People compared to Fat People.

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for Canada compared to the United States.

Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Old and Young.

Your data suggest little or no association between Female and Male with Science and Liberal Arts.

Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for White People compared to Black People.

Hitch-Hiker

Looks interesting, I must go through them properly later on. Right now I'm in work though.

Ahnimus

Hitch-Hiker wrote:

Looks interesting, I must go through them properly later on. Right now I'm in work though.

I honestly didn't think I'd be very biased towards White people over Blacks. But I guess I don't get a lot of exposure to blacks.

Last night I was out at a bar that was full of black people and it didn't bother me one bit. One of the girls I was with expressed her discomfort though.

angelica

Ahnimus wrote:

I honestly didn't think I'd be very biased towards White people over Blacks. But I guess I don't get a lot of exposure to blacks.

Last night I was out at a bar that was full of black people and it didn't bother me one bit. One of the girls I was with expressed her discomfort though.

Maybe you've heard of Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author (who grew up a mile away from me, went to high school with me and was on my school bus!). He wrote the books "The Tipping Point" and "Blink".

You might find his work interesting. "Blink" actually talks about how we make unconscious decisions all the time, without realizing it. He's considered one of the most influential people of our time. Anyway, he is half black on his mother's side, and he talks about taking this IAT test in the book "Blink", where he also comes up as naturally biased against blacks, which if memory serves me, he attributes to the cultural values we internalize growing up. i.e. Blacks being portrayed poorly all around, on TV, etc.

Ahnimus

angelica wrote:

Maybe you've heard of Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author (who grew up a mile away from me, went to high school with me and was on my school bus!). He wrote the books "The Tipping Point" and "Blink".

You might find his work interesting. "Blink" actually talks about how we make unconscious decisions all the time, without realizing it. He's considered one of the most influential people of our time. Anyway, he is half black on his mother's side, and he talks about taking this IAT test in the book "Blink", where he also comes up as naturally biased against blacks, which if memory serves me, he attributes to the cultural values we internalize growing up. i.e. Blacks being portrayed poorly all around, on TV, etc.

One of the scientists Mahzarin Banaji stated that it works that way aswell. Black people may be implicitly bias towards blacks as well. Implicitly meaning that it occurs on a subconcious level. I think it has to do with the association of networks within the brain which are inevitably created by external associations. Banaji says that exposure to these groups can correct some of the biases. For example, if I chilled out with Obama I'd lose some of my automatic response to whites. She stated that if one good thing has come from the Bush Administration, it's the presence of Condoleeza Rice and Collin Powell.

Ahnimus

Oh btw, I'm interested to see your results Angelica. Be honest now!

decides2dream

hmmmmmm....sounds VERY intriguing! as i don't have the proper time to give it at the moment, must get to work soon ....i'll definitely give it a go later, thanks for posting......:)

chopitdown

Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey.

angelica

Ahnimus wrote:

Oh btw, I'm interested to see your results Angelica. Be honest now!

I haven't taken the test.

angelica

I did take the test determining whether my brain operates in a male or female way the other day, and I came up exactly in the middle, though.

Ahnimus

Actually, I should argue that the test doesn't actually show a bias. But rather an association. Since the IAT tests for an association of negative and positive words with particular cultural differences. I can't figure out for the life of me how I am at all bias against blacks. But I can understand how I may have negative associations in my brain. I don't believe this means an explicit prejudice at all.

Though Banaji uses an example of looters in the wake of Katrina. She has two news articles from the Associated Press, in one article the "takers" are black, thuggish looking people and are called "looters", while in the second example they are white, well-dressed and carrying a newspaper and they are called "finders". That's just a little bit of bias there.

B nice

i hate everyone just the same

OutOfBreath

Kindof interesting these. Here are my two results.

Your data suggest a moderate association of Male with Career and Female with Family compared to Female with Career and Male with Family.

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Judaism compared to Other Religions.

However, with tests like this I have a few objections. They can get to the forefront more generally taught automatic impulses, true enough. However, the implicit claim is then that the results reflect how we think and act. But how often dont we think things and then correct ourselves mentally, or don't act it or say it? Tests like these are interesting, but of limited use.

Peace
Dan

gue_barium

That took too long. I took the weapons/harmless objects-race test and the result was:

Your data suggest a moderate association of Black Americans with Weapons compared to White Americans.

pjfanatic4

I did a couple of tests.... the answers didn't surprise me. I don't know if that proves/disproves anything...

It is an interesting site, though. Thanks for putting it here.

rebornFixer

Ahnimus wrote:

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Thin People compared to Fat People.

Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for Canada compared to the United States.

Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Old and Young.

Your data suggest little or no association between Female and Male with Science and Liberal Arts.

Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for White People compared to Black People.

Similar to my data, actually.
Hmmm.

decides2dream

pjfanatic4 wrote:

I did a couple of tests.... the answers didn't surprise me. I don't know if that proves/disproves anything...

It is an interesting site, though. Thanks for putting it here.

agreed.
no matter my personal views, i think our social conditioning is quite clearly illustrated in these 'tests' more than anything, like a game of free association...and yea, i enjoyed how they even asked after giving the results, if i felt there was a bias against lefties in the test-taking....:p


*edit - to clarify, left'handers, southpaws....before anyone thinks i mean left-leaning thinkers......;)

Ahnimus

It's all about implicit associations.

I personally found it more difficult to match USA with positive words. It was quite difficult in fact!

small town beck

Very interesting..I have only done one so far and the result was pretty much what I expected. Who would have guessed that a lefty Canuck would prefer Clinton to Bush?? :rolleyes:

I am going to check out more for sure though so thanks for posting the link.