ECS 158/9 Assignment : Implicit Association Test:
Exploring culture through racial associations
Note: This assignment is due by 8pm on the Wednesday eve prior to the Friday class session. Please send it to via electronic mail.
Assigned reading: Blink Malcolm Gladwell. Pages 52-58, 77-88 and 96-98 – Available as hardcopy from Liz Koelsch or as podcast from a reading by the author on Blackboard.
Lets Try it ….exploring enculturation.
Behavioral Scientists attempt to clarify how conscious and subconscious factors impact health behavior, as well as health policy. The test you are about to take, known as the "Implicit Association Test," offers one way to probe unconscious biases. In this 10-minute test, you will be presented with words or images and asked to respond as quickly as possible. At the end, your responses will be tallied so that you can see how your score compares to others and to your expectations (these responses will also be saved and tabulated as part of an investigation of implicit associations).
This exercise’s intent is to raise your awareness regarding your own conscious and subconscious perceptions. Consider whether your conscious and subconscious perceptions are congruous, and how these perceptions potentially influence how you interact with people and events in your personal and professional life.
This exercise presents the Implicit Association Test (IAT). It is a method designed to demonstrate conscious-unconscious perceptions. The information may most valuable if you remain open-minded and good-humored about the process and results. After taking the test answer the questions in this handout referring to your experience and the reading—takes about 10-15 minutes.
Instructions for the assignment:
1. Go to the Website https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ <file://localhost/implicit> or you can go to google and put in IAT and it should run directly when you click on it.
2. Go to Demonstration tests
3. You will be asked for general information about yourself so they can keep basic statistics (non identified). Once you are in…..
4. Click on the link for general information regarding the IAT.
5. Agree to continue and pick the test called Race IAT and do that test.
6. When you finish you will be given “results”. Print the results provided by the program about your Race IAT test results. Attach the printout to the questions about this you will be answering. (NOTE: if you do not print it at the time it shows up you will have to do the test again to get results to print).
7. Using a separate sheet of paper answer each of the following questions keeping your answers to 2 pages.
a. Your name and box number
b. According to the author (and IAT authors) what % of all people taking the test have “pro-white” associations.
c. Assuming that the results you received possibly do reflect unconscious cultural conditioning please describe what personal, social, generational, and cultural experiences might have influenced your test and the result? (Please note in this question we are not asking your opinion of the test, whether you like it, or it if is valid).
d. Prior to the IAT, data on racial (or other preferences) were collected by asking the participant to self-report their prejudices and preferences about race. How do you think the data from the IAT compares with the self-report data?
e. According to the Author of “Blink” and the developers of the IAT the number of times you take the test does not significantly change the test outcome (“practice” does not influence the results). Describe what they say in the reading that does influence the results and how might a person change their test results? Please give specific examples.
The evaluation of the assignment will be based on:
High Pass
1. The results of the test are provided as instructed. Please note the results of the test are not graded but whether they are provided as instructed.
2. Does the assignment appear to have been done in a thoughtful manner (note: typed, clearly written, with a reasoned tone, separating fact and opinion.
3. All questions are answered.
4. The assignment is in on time.
Pass
1. Instructions not followed completely
2. Assignment turned in late (after due date)
3. Defensive tone with little willingness to consider the results of the IAT test.
For fun you are welcome to try other tests and topics.
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