Harvard's Project Implicit (association tests)

[candice_u]

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

I believe the link above is the website mentioned during Sunday's service by a band member. As I recall, you may have to take a series of five or so random tests (to help with ongoing research) before you'll be allowed to view and choose whichever test you'd like to try.

Tip: The first time you a take a test you may want to quit because you think there is a bug in the test or you suspect that you're being messed with, but stick with it. You'll receive your results at the end of each test along with an explanation.

~Candice

[tim]

Thanks for the link! >> It is well known that people don't always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't always 'know their minds'. Understanding such divergences is important to scientific psychology. <<

Part of the project is detecting unconscious racist attitudes.

[candice_u]

You're welcome.
Yes, it uncovers thoughts we may have that we wish we didn't...and that is why it is important to respond 'quickly' while taking each test. Otherwise, we'd be tempted to 'correct' our initial responses, submitting instead the better or 'right' responses which might represent who we aspire to be rather than who we really are deep down.

An interesting one I took had me quickly matching pictures of 17th and 18th century men to landmarks or landscapes that were either American or foreign. It was difficult not to match the anglo/white men with American scenes (even though most weren't born here) and to avoid 'accidently' associating Native Americans with things 'foreign.' I know better of course.

[tim]

I wonder whether there is a relationship between this work and the Intuitive and Analytic thinking styles that figure in the recent report in Science magazine that analytic thinking increases religious disbelief?