IAT Activity

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IAT Activity
The IAT (Implicit Association Test) refers to a process that measures attitudes as well as opinions, which individuals are not comfortable or able to share. People naturally do not reveal what they think because they lack the willingness and capability. This situation is known as implicit bias, and it can be manifested through stereotypes, among other things (Payne, Niemi and Doris 1). For instance, in my case, I was not willing to report my preference between dark and light skin people. The IAT made me uncomfortable as I was in the process of performing it. However, this test was quite interesting as it revealed to me an implicit attitude, which I never knew I had. The IAT evaluates how strong a person makes a connection with concepts. In my case, the concept is people’s skin, in particular, how individuals are dark and light skinned. I was able to categorize light skin individuals faster than their dark skin counterparts.
Nonetheless, while the IAT proves to be a useful tool in assessing oneself, its results are not a 100% appraisal of one’s implicit inclination. In other words, this test cannot predict if a person will act in a particular manner in the future (Payne, Niemi and Doris 1). Different aspects influence the results, and some of these include the labels used in the test, as well as how tired a person is. For example, while taking the test, I made some errors since, in some instances, the speed of the test was overwhelming.

Therefore, the IAT’s results are best used to educate an individual. These results can help predict an individual’s behavior. Besides that, they provide an idea of what a person may be inclined to do.
Work Cited
Payne, Keith, et al. “How to Think About “Implicit Bias”.” Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.