Implicit Association Test

[allyndra]

I am fascinated by the Implicit Association Test from researchers at Harvard. The point of it is to get at the attitudes, conscious or unconscious, that we hold about race, gender, sexuality, disabilities, and more. I find the tests themselves interesting, but even more, I wonder about the post-test impact on people who take them. If their results suggest that they have, say, a preference towards whites over blacks, do they take that info and work to change? Shrug and say, "What the hell, white people actually are better."? Get mad and claim that the test is screwed up and inaccurate?

I took the one about Sexuality, and my results indicate a "moderate preference toward gay people over straight people." Which is interesting, but considering my hobby is imagining fictional characters in gay relationships, perhaps not so surprising.

If you would like to take any of the tests, the link is here.

Comments

[roxy-palace.livejournal.com]

That sounds really interesting. I don't know why, but I'm always facinated by psych tests of any kind. This one sounds particularly engaging...

[sublimatedangel]

Ooh, those are really neat - thanks for the link. And yeah... I also wonder about the post-results reaction. For those people who aren't surprised by their results, I don't think you'd see much reaction, but for those who believed one thing about themselves and then find out another... it seems like it would be very challenging to alter your subconscious beliefs, but I like to think people would try.