Recognizing and Assessing Our Biases
The Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) intends to measure implicit attitudes and beliefs. These beliefs may be either purposefully or unknowingly hidden. The test asks participants to quickly categorize two concepts (e.g., “black” and ”white”) and evaluations (e.g., “good” and ”bad”). A faster response is interpreted as a stronger association, and therefore a stronger preference.
I have taken several of the Harvard IATs in the past. I have most often taken the Race IAT, but have also taken the Weight IAT and Age IAT. This time, I chose to take the Sexuality IAT, Presidents IAT, and the Religion IAT, all of which I have no memory of taking in the past. While I have been frequently exposed to the IAT, I was not aware of the wide variability that has come from the original test. It is interesting to see different biases being tested with this single tool.
In theory, the IAT measures implicit preferences. While I believe this to be true to some extent, there are also a number of valid criticisms. I can imagine there are certain participants who have a difficult time adjusting to the alternating categories, potentially impacting their results. I can also imagine for some participants the results are more so assessing cultural knowledge of certain biases, as opposed to personal beliefs.
That being said, the researchers do address these concerns in their disclaimers. They acknowledge that while summary data across many participants have found that the IAT was a good predictor of discrimination in a number of settings, it is not necessarily likely to predict the behavior of a participant who has only taken an IAT once. Additionally, it is stated that the order in which you take the test may influence your results. This is minimized by giving participants practice trials after the categories have switched. It is also rectified in studies through order randomization between participants.
Assuming the validity of the test, the results could relate to our participation in this course in regard to our final partnership projects. Beyond simply taking the test, it is important to take time to reflect on the results and consider how our biases may be playing a role in how we interact with others. As the NGOs are engaged in global intervention work, it is important to recognize and assess our implicit biases that may relate to the culture of the intervention group. The IAT can uncover biases that we may not be aware we hold. By having these pointed out, we can take actions to begin overcoming these biases in the way of avoiding instincts and instead making logical social decisions.
