IAT

We are all prejudice on some level because certain ideals are so systemically embedded in our culture and society. I am currently in a feminist studies class so I believed I wouldn't have any unconscious biases towards women in the work place. However, i took an Implicit Associates Test (IAT) that revealed I have a slight bias towards associating women with family and men with careers.

Development of the IAT is credited to Tony Greenwald, Brain Nosek, and Mahzarin Banaji. An IAT is a computerized test that is designed to detect unconscious biases. It uses 4 categories, in this case typically male and female names and career associated words and family associated words. On the left side of the screen it will say men and on the right it will say women. The test begins by asking you to classify names into the male or female categories by hitting the e key and the i key on the keyboard. The e key means you believe the word presented belongs in the category on the left and the hitting the i key means you believe the presented word belongs in the right category. After this initial test female is presented on the left and male is presented on the right and you repeat the test. Next the test gets more complicated. Words are displayed that are either male or female names and career or family words. Two categories start on the left, family and women and the other to start on the right men and career. The test is completed in the same manner using the keys e and i to classify the words into their appropriate catergories. Finally the categories are rematched so women and career appear on the same side and men and family appears on the other. The test judges how quick you assign the categories to the correct side and how many errors you make in the process, It is believed that you will be quicker to assign the words to the categories you are most comfortable with or favor(Greenwald, Nosek & Banaji, 2003).

In addition to the gender IAT i also completed an age IAT revealing that I have an automatic preference for young people compared to old people. I feel the results of both of my tests were accurate. Although, i would consider myself a feminist I feel our society is still influenced by the women with family and men with careers norm. I actively try to think otherwise but I believe the stereotype is still somewhere in the back of my mind. In addition, I feel as though it is way more exciting to be young. There are more things that I am able and willing to do at this age than I feel like there will be when I am 60.

I was interested to see if I could trick the IAT and change my results. I re-took the age IAT and attempted to take a little more time to consider which category the displayed word belonged in. I got the exact same results.

The gender IAT was mind opening because it shows that what I consciously think and what I unconsciously believe are not consistent, and that I too am influenced by social norms I try so hard to avoid. Additionally, my unsuccessful attempt to change my score showed me that my unconscious is not easily duped.

Greenwald, A. G., Nosek, B. A., & Banaji, M. R. (2003). Understanding and using the implicit associations test: I. An improved scoring algorithum. Journal of Personal and Social Pyschology, 85, 197-216.