Implicit Prejudice NameInstitutionInstructorCourseDate Implicit Prejudice My Experience with the Implicit Association Test (IAT)The test that I choose to undertake was the Race Implication Association test due to the assumed bias against the black population (Project Implicit, 2018). This has generated a notion that the black population is inferior to the white population.
The test involved answering some self-assessment questions relating to one’s emotions and views relating to the whites and the blacks (Project Implicit, 2018). The test also involved some categorization of words mixed with images of African Americans and European Americans. The test results suggested a strong automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans (Project Implicit, 2018). This is because I was faster responding when European Americans and good are assigned to the same response key (Project Implicit, 2018). After I took the second test, the score was a moderate automatic preference to European Americans, which is better than the strong automatic preference result (Project Implicit, 2018).
This is an improvement from the first score although it still indicated an implicit bias. This also cleared the doubts that I had about the test, as the test scores are slightly similar an indication of the accuracy of the test.Discuss If Your Results Surprise You, Why or Why NotThe test results surprised me because I am always conscious of the assumed bias against the blacks.
The results also indicated an unconscious racism, which is responsible for discriminative behavior (Project Implicit, 2018). The results surprised me because I have been cautious in my behavior towards the blacks. My thought and assumptions relating to the blacks have been always positive with a campaign for equality in all aspects. Having interacted with a majority of blacks at school and at home, I have changed my attitude towards any negative perceptions that I may have and also improved my relationship with the blacks. I have never championed for the whites and always treat the blacks with equality.
Although the test might not be a hundred percent accurate, the results surprised me by providing some truths about my personality. This will even enable me to continue fighting against racial discrimination, as now I am aware of the unconscious bias that I have. This test is not meant to harm but to add knowledge and inform (Project Implicit, 2018).Interpret The Results.
Do You Think They Are Valid For You Personally?The results indicated a strong automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans, which were based on the speed of responding between paired concepts (Project Implicit, 2018). This indicated that I was quick to associate the pictures with the words. The results are valid because knowing that implicit bias would be tested, I tried to honestly answer the questions to avoid a negative result, but the test proved otherwise. Although efforts to reduce the racial bias have been put in place, the silence does not mean people have gladly accepted the notion and this bias have not been fully eradicated (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). This test suggests that even though individuals may physically acknowledge and champion for equality, the difference in skin color cannot be ignored which is seen in schools, the level of poverty, which largely affects the blacks, and the number of prisoners in correctional facilities (Whitley ; Kite, 2016).
These results indicate white Americans still ignore the injustices that are still happening against the blacks. Even though there have been a lot of efforts in academic courses to teach about racial discrimination and the diversity issue, these results confirm that this has not been fully enacted and the conscious precaution taken when dealing with the blacks indicates a subconscious racial discrimination in my personality (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). Reflect On The Results Of Your Test And Your Own Implicit Bias, Briefly Explain The Causes Of Prejudicial Attitudes And Discriminatory Behaviors You May Have Seen In Others. Do You See Similarities Or Difference Between Your Bias And Others Potential Bias?The strong unconscious association in my mind revealed the fear that I always had about being a racist. The causes of prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors in others include physical appearances, which may include the skin color, gender, and physical disabilities (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). The female gender may face prejudice due to their inferior personalities against the males.
There are also prejudice based on religion, which can be seen between Catholics and other religious associations, which may include the Protestants (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). Members of the Protestant group discriminate the Catholics based on their worship practices, which are different from the Protestants (Whitley ; Kite, 2016).Discriminatory behaviors are also a common form of prejudicial expression (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). Discrimination, which is a negative treatment to certain groupings due to their small number in a larger society has been witnessed based on the social class where high-class individuals discriminate the poor individuals due to their low status in the society (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). There are similarities between my bias and other bias as all are based on group settings based on certain characteristics of the different group constituents (Whitley ; Kite, 2016). Consider The Overall Validity Of The IAT. Do You Think This Test Is A Valid And Reliable Measure Of Implicit Bias? Use Scholarly Research to Back up Your Claims in This SectionResearch has indicated individuals who had different results after undertaking multiple tests, which questions the validity of the IAT test (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, ; Nisbett, 2015).
According to researchers who invented the test at the project implicit website, the IAT is not an accurate tool to determine an individual bias based on one test and requires multiple tests to determine one’s bias accurately (Gilovich et al., 2015). For an individual to get an accurate result, one would have to take several tests and get an average of the results to determine a clear indication of their bias (Gilovich et al., 2015). A test that cannot be depended upon based on one-off use cannot be relied upon and may not be a good basis to determine individual results (Gilovich et al., 2015).
The basis of the test, which is based on the responding rate to match pictures and words, cannot be an accurate basis to measure bias in individuals as attitudes and implicit prejudice cannot be solely measured using this perspective (Gilovich et al., 2015).ReferencesGilovich, T.
, Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R. E. (2015).
Social psychology. New York, NY: W.W. Norton Publishing.Project Implicit.
(2018). Implicit Association Test. Retrieved from https://implicit.
harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.htmlWhitley, B.
E., & Kite, M. E. (2016).
Psychology of prejudice and discrimination. New York, NY: Routledge.
