Module 1: IAT

I took the Gender/Science IAT which examines the link between liberal arts and women with science and males.  I was not surprised with the results of this IAT as much of my academic background is in Gender & Women’s Studies; so therefore I went into this IAT being very aware of the biases surrounding women in the sciences.  I was ultra-aware of these issues as I took the IAT and I think that influenced my results.  The same type of thing happened when I took the 2^nd IAT, Fat/Thin.  I was very aware of the biases surrounding obese people and I think my awareness of this influenced my answers.  So I was not too surprised at all about the results of either IAT.  I do not know how I feel about the IAT and at this time would not consider it a life-changing/revolutionary test for myself.  Perhaps I need to take some of the other ones, or try not to let my previous experiences influence my answers so much.  

I can see where the relationship between associations and memory can influence the IAT.  As the IAT relies on rapid responses to pictures and words, associations and memories must come into play.  The person taking the IAT is instructed to answer quickly, without spending time thinking about the image/word and answer.  With these instructions, the test-taker is relying on not only quickness, but also memory and associations to complete the IAT.  I think associations also play a role in determining future behavior, just as they did when completing the IAT.

            Two distinct passages from William James which deal with associations and learning, and which I think relate to the IAT are:

            “The ‘nature,’ the ‘character,’ of an individual means really nothing but the habitual form of his associations.  To break up bad associations or wrong ones, to build others in, to guide the associative tendencies into the most fruitful channels, is the educator’s principal task.  But here, as with all other simple principles, the difficulty lies in the application.” (p. 42)

“An educated memory depends on an organized system of associations; and its goodness depends on two of their peculiarities: first, on the persistency of the associations; and, second, on their number.” (p. 60)