The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is nearly synonymous with the implicit attitude construct. At the same time, correlations between the IAT and criterion measures are often remarkably low. Developed within research using explicit measures of attitudes, the correspondence principle posits that measures should better predict criteria when there is a match in terms of the level of generality or specificity at which both are conceptualized (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977). As such, weak implicit-criterion correlations are to be expected when broad general implicit measures are used to predict highly specific criteria. Research using explicit measures of attitudes consistently supports the correspondence principle, but conceptual correspondence is rarely considered by researchers using implicit measures to predict behavior and other relevant criterion measures. In five experiments (total N = 4650), we provide the first direct evidence demonstrating the relevance of the correspondence principle to the predictive validity of the IAT and Single Target IAT. That said, it is not the case that the IAT always predicts criteria better when correspondence is high. Inconsistency across the pattern of results suggests there is much more that remains to be understood about the relevance of the correspondence principle to the implicit-criterion relationship. Taken together, however, our findings suggest that conceptual correspondence typically increases (and never decreases) the magnitude of implicit-behavior and implicit-explicit relationships. We provide a framework for future research necessary to establish when correspondence is more likely to increase the predictive validity of measures such as the IAT.
The well‐being of employed adults is linked to demands and resources in both work and family domains. This study takes a family systems approach to understand how an employee's work–family conflict and their spouse's observed work–family conflict can create stress within a family unit by negatively impacting employee and spousal perceptions of fairness in the division of household labour. This decreased fairness is related to reduced family cohesion, which we argue is a key resource in the family domain. These variables were assessed by data collected from military personnel and their spouses in a sample of 78 marital dyads. Analyses using the actor–partner interdependence model and maximum likelihood bootstrapping supported our contention that work–family conflict is related to family cohesion through perceived fairness in the division of household labour. However, after accounting for the strong direct effect employee's reported work‐to‐family conflict has on employee's psychological distress, reduced family cohesion was only directly related to the psychological distress of employee's spouses, and not employees themselves. We suggest that these findings support the importance of taking a family systems approach to more fully contextualize the impact of dual‐domain challenges on employee well‐being.
Practitioner points
Organizations need to take the family into consideration when assessing employee well‐being.
Work–family conflict directly impacts an employee's psychological well‐being and has the potential to create distress within the employee's family.
Employers should provide employees with more family‐supportive resources to reduce the strain created by work–family conflict.
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is nearly synonymous with the implicit attitude construct. At the same time, correlations between the IAT and criterion measures are often remarkably low. Developed within research using explicit measures of attitudes, the correspondence principle posits that measures should better predict criteria when there is a match in terms of the level of generality or specificity at which both are conceptualized (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977). As such, weak implicit-criterion correlations are to be expected when broad general implicit measures are used to predict highly specific criteria. Research using explicit measures of attitudes consistently supports the correspondence principle, but conceptual correspondence is rarely considered by researchers using implicit measures to predict behavior and other relevant criterion measures. In five experiments (total N = 4650), we provide the first direct evidence demonstrating the relevance of the correspondence principle to the predictive validity of the IAT and Single Target IAT. That said, it is not the case that the IAT always predicts criteria better when correspondence is high. Inconsistency across the pattern of results suggests there is much more that remains to be understood about the relevance of the correspondence principle to the implicit-criterion relationship. Taken together, however, our findings suggest that conceptual correspondence typically increases (and never decreases) the magnitude of implicit-behavior and implicit-explicit relationships. We provide a framework for future research necessary to establish when correspondence is more likely to increase the predictive validity of measures such as the IAT.
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