Implicit Bias, Executive Control and Information Processing Speed

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between processing speed and Implicit Association Test (IAT) performance using a race and a socially neutral IAT, in 51 European American adults ranging in age from 19 to 55. Simple reaction time was not correlated with IAT performance. However, faster higher-level processing speed on a 3-back task was correlated with lower transformed scores and shorter latencies on multiple implicit association race and neutral measures. Higher-level processing may account for approximately 70% of this relationship with general processing speed accounting for the remainder. The relationship between higher-level processing and implicit bias may be mediated by shared executive processes. However, patterns of neurobehavioral engagement and activation may also reflect a systemic response to diverse stimuli, suggesting that in individuals with lower implicit bias, executive processes are more efficient resulting in faster higher-level processing and in appearing or being less biased.

Stigma Toward Individuals Engaged in Consensual Nonmonogamy: Robust and Worthy of Additional Research

“…Further, Salvatore (2013) appeared to be under the impression that we are unfamiliar with prejudice research. In our previous work, we have used a wide array of methodologies to assess prejudice (e.g., Conley, Rabinowitz, & Hardin, 2010;Conley, Ziegler, & Moors, 2013;Diamond et al, 2012), but in our target article, we were primarily interested in assessing only explicit prejudice. Although follow-up studies are needed to address the nuanced questions raised by some of the commentators, we do not believe that researchers need to replicate every theoretical process once a new target group emerges in the literature.…”

Assessing Inhibitory Control in the Real World Is Virtually Possible: A Virtual Reality Demonstration

“…In this line, it is worth noting that the flanker task adaptation by Bidet-Ildei and Bouquet [ 25 ] already suggested that the gender of the avatar influenced target recognition. Preceding studies have discussed the possible interaction between implicit biases and executive functions [ 65 , 66 ], but the unclear picture obtained so far may well be the result of the use of laboratory tasks with static representations of non-human elements in non-immersive contexts. Future VR adaptations of these and other related tasks could overcome these limitations regarding the naturality and plausibility of the stimuli and contexts.…”