Tuesday, June 1, 2010

THE IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST (IAT) – UNDERSTANDING PREJUDICE

I took the IAT race and gender prejudice test. The test is supposed to measure an individual’s unconscious association of good and bad with black and white people, and an individual’s stereotypical association of career and family with being male or female. The speed at which you identify certain relationships is what drives the results. I must say I was and still am skeptical.

My score in the race test indicated that I have a moderate preference for European people (whites) over African people (blacks). What does that mean? Apparently, at least subconsciously, I prefer whites over blacks. Well, of course. I don’t need a test to tell me that. Everything else being equal, human nature is such that an individual will identify more with his own group than another. I would expect that an African-American would feel the same way. He would be more likely to favor blacks. But not according to the statistics of the test.

The statistics claim that nearly one-half of blacks taking the test show a preference for European people. I was very surprised. That is, until I realized that we’re talking about a subconscious preference – one that has been so engrained in American society that even the groups outside of the culture of power have come to internalize.

I scored the same with regards to gender. I’m more likely to associate males with career and females with family. Again, of course, that’s what I’ve experienced all my life. Besides, nature tells us that the male is superior to the female in some respects – and vice versa. Males are generally larger and providers, whereas females are generally more passive and nurturers.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent analysis -- i like how you talked your way around full circle to make sense of this!

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  2. Isn't it amazing that even African Americans have a preference for European Americans on this test? I was surprised to find that out, but then, like you, after analyzing it, it is so true about American society. Whiteness is valued so much and although it is a part of who I am, sometimes it bothers me a bit. I do NOT like the idea of a superior race and do not encourage that any race is better than another. Weren't "all men created equal" after all????

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