Project Implicit

[Ark]

Link to get you started

The Implicit Association Test is designed to detect the strength of one's automatic associations between concepts such as a certain race's likeliness to be associated with weapons, or one's preference for one sexuality over another. The tests are simple and don't take much time at all, but the main thing to remember when taking these tests is to answer as quickly as possible. The tests are specifically designed to determine how your unconscious mind associates different pairings, and the results can actually be quite surprising!

Now, the IAT, like many psychological tests, is subject to a wide variety of criticism, so I feel that it's important to know this before taking the test. The consistency of scores has been challenged, and the test has been criticized for being biased by the participant's lacking of cognitive ability to adjust to switching categories. That being said, when all is said and done, the test is widely known, and implicit association is definitely an interesting subject for many people, not just ones who are interested in psychology.

And I feel that I should get this out of the way before anyone jumps to conclusions: just because you wound up with a score that may show that you have a tendency to automatically associate one race/gender/etc. with a certain concept does not in any way mean that you're racist or sexist or whatever (although, you still can be). As stated before, the test is subject to criticism, and perhaps more importantly, this is all based on the workings of the unconscious mind. Just because you have a tendency to automatically/unconsciously associate one thing with a certain concept does not mean you are prejudiced.

Anyway, I took three IATs for my AP Psych class, and it's likely that I'll take more in the future, so I'll document my scores here.

Spoiler: My Scores 

1. Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People.

2. Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for European American compared to African American.

3. Your data suggest a moderate association of Black Americans with Weapons compared to White Americans.

Now for my thoughts on the matter? I do associate with a few gay people, and I generally don't have a problem with them due to their sexuality, after all, I'm for more equal rights when it comes to homosexuals in America. The slight preference for European Americans was kind of expected simply because I felt that's the way society would have conditioned my unconscious mind. However, I do not have many black friends who I usually associate myself with (mostly White/Hispanic/Asian). Lastly, I also expected the association between Black Americans and weapons for the same reason I expected the preference for European Americans.

Now, was this an eye-opening experience? Well, I won't go that far, but I will say that it was very interesting and quite fun. If anyone else is willing to share their scores and thoughts on the matter, then go wild! I'm pretty interested in seeing our results.

[Doofenshmirtz]

Well, as right now I don't have the time to delve entirely on this, I will just post the score about the weapon IAT.

Spoiler:  

Your data suggest a slight association of Black Americans with Weapons compared to White Americans.

I'll edit later my other results, but insofar I am actually surprised about my result... I expected a slightly higher inclination due to how society has shaped me...?

[charigaara]

Oh, this is interesting~

Spoiler: Results 

Race: There were too many errors to determine a result.
Whoops.

Sexuality: Your data suggests a slight automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People.
Not a surprise, considering where I've spent almost all of my life and our culture today.

Presidents: Your data suggests a slight automatic preference for Barack Obama compared to John F. Kennedy.
This is also unsurprising, but it's probably mostly due to the fact that I know Obama and not really JFK~

Religion: My results.
Christianity is pretty much a given, although I was surprised to find Islam above Judaism. I guess Hinduism's lowest because I know least about it.

Weapons: Your data suggests a slight association of White Americans with Weapons compared to Black Americans.
Oh, this one is really surprising! I didn't expect that at all.

So I really dislike the whole category-switch thing. I get really used to associating one key with a category and when it flips I tend to make a lot more mistakes that would probably skew my score. But hey, these were pretty fun~

Spoiler: My results 

Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American.

Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People.

Religion

I'll edit in more later.

Interesting how apparently I'm unconsciously more accepting of gays than blacks.

[DukeOfStyrofoam]

I only did religion because I'm low on time, but it said I had too many errors.