The IAT as Intervention: Promoting concerns about implicit racial biases

The IAT as Intervention: Promoting concerns about implicit racial biases

Implicit racial biases are widespread and contribute to discrimination and inequality. Research has shown the effects of implicit bias in police, employment, academic, and medical decisions. The implications of implicit racial biases are evident, but there is no clear way to combat these biases. An individual’s bias can be assessed by administering an Implicit Association Test (IAT), which evaluates the strength of people's unconscious beliefs and stereotypes about a specific group. Oftentimes, the IAT is used in prejudice reduction training to make people aware of biases and potentially work to control them. However, it is unclear if exposure to one’s IAT score actually causes increased control over biases. Our study aims to test if participants will respond seriously to IAT feedback about implicit racial bias and subsequently make efforts to control their bias. We expect that participants exposed to their IAT score will show a higher motivation to control their prejudices.