Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Introduction

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a psychological assessment tool designed to detect the strength of a person's automatic associations between mental representations of objects (concepts) in memory. It is widely used in social psychology research to uncover implicit biases—subconscious attitudes or stereotypes that people may not be consciously aware of or may not want to reveal. How the IAT Works:
  1. Concepts and Categories: The IAT typically involves two sets of concepts (e.g., "Emotion" vs. "Food") and two sets of attributes (e.g., "Positive" vs. "Negative" or "Fruit" vs. "Vegetable").
  2. Task Structure: Participants are asked to quickly sort words or images into the correct categories using computer keys. The test measures the speed and accuracy with which they can do this. Faster responses are interpreted as stronger associations between the paired concepts and attributes.
  3. Blocks of Trials: The test is divided into blocks. Initial blocks introduce the categories and ensure participants understand the sorting task. Subsequent blocks mix the concepts and attributes in various combinations to measure the strength of implicit associations.
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) Template provides a structured approach for conducting IATs. This template uses an eight-block design to categorize concepts across various contexts. Panellists first familiarize themselves with the concepts and categories, then proceed through a series of tasks designed to reveal implicit biases. Each characteristic, such as the association between "Emotion" and "Positive" or "Negative," is evaluated across all tasks. 

Template Description

The IAT template begins with a welcome screen, which can be used to greet panellists or ask preliminary questions before starting the test. The template comprises 10 main design sections, each separated by a break screen. The first four design section introduces the concepts and categories, while the subsequent sections contain the actual IAT tasks, with each section adjustable to suit specific requirements.

Each design section starts with an instruction screen, followed by a series of tasks using an eight-block design:
  1. Introduction of concept and categories: IAT 1 - Design 1. associate the concept “Emotion” with the category “Positive” or “Negative”
  2. Introduction of concept and categories: IAT 2 - Design 2. associate the concept “Emotion” with the category “Negative” or “Positive”
  3. Introduction of concept and categories: IAT 3 - Design 3. associate the concept “Food” with the category “Fruit” or “Vegetable”
  4. Introduction of concept and categories: IAT 4 - Design 4. associate the concept “Food” with the category “Vegetable” or “Fruit”
  5. IAT 5 - Design 5. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Fruit / Positive” or “Vegetable / Negative”
  6. IAT 6 - Design 6. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Positive / Vegetable” or “Negative / Fruit”
  7. IAT 7 - Design 7. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Fruit / Negative” or “Vegetable / Positive”
  8. IAT 8 - Design 8. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Positive / Fruit” or “Negative / Vegetable”
  9. IAT 9 - Design 9. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Vegetable / Negative” or “Fruit / Positive”
  10. IAT 10 - Design 10. associate the concept “Emotion” or “Food” with the category “Negative / Fruit” or “Positive / Vegetable”
The template's end screen includes a “thank you” message, providing an opportunity for personalizing a final message for the panelists.

How to Set Up an IAT Test from Scratch

Step 1. Use the provided IAT template from EyeQuestion.
Step 2. Define your set of concepts and attributes in Design > Product. For example, if you want to check the association between the concept "Emotion" and "Food," enter the corresponding attribute for each product concept in the product description (e.g., Happy (attribute) for Emotion (concept).


Step 3. Ensure the blinding code for each sample corresponds to the specific attribute. To do this, go to Design > Design Settings > Edit Blinding Code.


Step 4. Adjust the attributes within the questionnaire. In each Type IAT question, ensure the answer display correspond to the correct left and right attributes you want the panellists to select.

Raw Data Representation

The raw data is displayed with each row corresponding to a product evaluated by a panelist, followed by the response times for each association task. Each column represents a question (Qx), with no distinction between the different design sections in the dataset.

For each IAT question type, you will see the answer value (e.g., 1 or 2, which corresponds to what the panellist selected and helps you to determine whether the answer was accurate or incorrect), followed by the number of milliseconds it took the panellist to answer the question.


References

  1. Nosek, B. A., Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (2005). Understanding and using the Implicit Association Test: II. Method variables and construct validity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(2), 166-180.
NOTE:
  1. To facilitate data interpretation, change the answer value of your type IAT question to match the associated attribute. 

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