Implicit and Explicit Aesthetic Evaluation of Design Objects

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 141-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Mastandrea ◽  
Fridanna Maricchiolo

Can a preference for design objects also be achieved automatically? The aim of this study is to examine whether different levels of expertise in industrial design (laypeople versus design experts) can orient the preference towards different styles of design objects (classic chairs versus modern chairs), at both implicit and explicit levels. Implicit and explicit preferences are often mediated by assessor features. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure the automaticity of the evaluation. The participants (44 laypeople and 40 experts) performed a categorization task with reference to pictures (five classic and five modern chairs) and words (five positive and five negative aesthetic words). Reaction times were registered. The explicit evaluation of the stimuli was assessed using a seven-point Likert scale referring to the adjectives beautiful, typical, familiar, understandable, complex and interesting in order to appraise overall preferences for both classic and modern design objects. In both measurements, implicit and explicit preferences for classic and modern objects were moderated by expertise: experts were aesthetically more oriented towards modern objects while laypeople did not show a specific preference for one style. This study is one of the first attempts to demonstrate the differences in aesthetic preferences between experts and non-experts at an implicit level.

i-Perception ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 204166951876146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Weichselbaum ◽  
Helmut Leder ◽  
Ulrich Ansorge

In perception, humans typically prefer symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. Yet, little is known about differences in symmetry preferences depending on individuals’ different past histories of actively reflecting upon pictures and patterns. To address this question, we tested the generality of the symmetry preference for different levels of individual art expertise. The preference for symmetrical versus asymmetrical abstract patterns was measured implicitly, by an Implicit Association Test (IAT), and explicitly, by a rating scale asking participants to evaluate pattern beauty. Participants were art history and psychology students. Art expertise was measured using a questionnaire. In the IAT, art expertise did not alter the preference for symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. In contrast, the explicit rating scale showed that with higher art expertise, the ratings for the beauty of asymmetrical patterns significantly increased, but, again, participants preferred symmetrical over asymmetrical patterns. The results are discussed in light of different theories on the origins of symmetry preference. Evolutionary adaptation might play a role in symmetry preferences for art experts similarly to nonexperts, but experts tend to emphasize the beauty of asymmetrical depictions, eventually considering different criteria, when asked explicitly to indicate their preferences.


Author(s):  
Melanie C. Steffens ◽  
Inga Plewe

Abstract. The introduction of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998 ) has stimulated numerous research activities. The IAT is supposed to measure the degree of association between concepts. Instances have to be assigned to these concepts by pressing appropriate keys as quickly as possible. The reaction time difference between certain conditions, termed the IAT effect, is used as an indicator of the degree of the concepts’ association. We tested the hypothesis that the degree of association between one concept (or category) and the instances of the other presented concept also influences reaction times. In our experiment, the instances in the target categories, male and female names, were kept constant. The adjectives in the evaluative categories were manipulated: Either the pleasant adjectives were female-associated and the unpleasant adjectives were male-associated, or vice versa. These stereotypic associations were indeed found to exert a substantial influence on the size of the IAT effect. This finding casts doubt on the assumption that the IAT effect may be interpreted as a pure measure of the degree of association between concepts.


Author(s):  
Pieter Van Dessel ◽  
Jan De Houwer ◽  
Anne Gast ◽  
Colin Tucker Smith

Prior research suggests that repeatedly approaching or avoiding a certain stimulus changes the liking of this stimulus. We investigated whether these effects of approach and avoidance training occur also when participants do not perform these actions but are merely instructed about the stimulus-action contingencies. Stimulus evaluations were registered using both implicit (Implicit Association Test and evaluative priming) and explicit measures (valence ratings). Instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were observed for relatively neutral fictitious social groups (i.e., Niffites and Luupites), but not for clearly valenced well-known social groups (i.e., Blacks and Whites). We conclude that instructions to approach or avoid stimuli can provide sufficient bases for establishing both implicit and explicit evaluations of novel stimuli and discuss several possible reasons for why similar instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were not found for valenced well-known stimuli.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hongyun Lyu ◽  
Ningjian Liang ◽  
Zhen Guo ◽  
Rogelio Alejo Rodriguez

In this study we examined the differences in implicit collective self- esteem between Gelao and Han teenagers, using the Implicit Association Test. We also explored the relationship between participants' implicit and explicit collective self-esteem with the Implicit Association Test and the Explicit Collective Self-Esteem Scale. Participants were 169 teenagers residing in Gelao regions in China. The results showed that both Gelao and Han participants had an implicit collective self-esteem effect (i.e., tended to associate their own ethnic group with positive words and the other ethnic group with negative words), and this effect was significantly higher among Gelao than among Han participants. Further, scores on the importance-to-identity subscale of the Explicit Collective Self-Esteem scale were significantly higher in the Gelao versus the Han group. The correlation coefficients between implicit and explicit collective self-esteem for both groups were very low. The significance of the study findings is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maddalena Marini ◽  
Pamela D. Waterman ◽  
Emry Breedlove ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Christian Testa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background To date, research assessing discrimination has employed primarily explicit measures (i.e., self-reports), which can be subject to intentional and social desirability processes. Only a few studies, focusing on sex and race/ethnicity discrimination, have relied on implicit measures (i.e., Implicit Association Test, IAT), which permit assessing mental representations that are outside of conscious control. This study aims to advance measurement of discrimination by extending the application of implicit measures to multiple types of discrimination and optimizing the time required for the administration of these instruments. Methods Between September 27th 2019 and February 9th 2020, we conducted six experiments (984 participants) to assess implicit and explicit discrimination based on race/ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, weight, and age. Implicit discrimination was measured by using the Brief-Implicit Association Test (B-IAT), a new validated version of the IAT developed to shorten the time needed (from ≈15 to ≈2 min) to assess implicit mental representations, while explicit discrimination was assessed using self-reported items. Results Among participants (mean age = 37.8), 68.6% were White Non-Hispanic; 69% were females; 76.1% were heterosexual; 90.7% were gender conforming; 52.8% were medium weight; and 41.5% had an advanced level of education. Overall, we found implicit and explicit recognition of discrimination towards all the target groups (stronger for members of the target than dominant groups). Some exceptions emerged in experiments investigating race/ethnicity and weight discrimination. In the racism experiment, only people of Color showed an implicit recognition of discrimination towards the target group, while White people were neutral. In the fatphobia experiment, participants who were not heavy showed a slight implicit recognition of discrimination towards the dominant group, while heavy participants were neutral. Conclusions This study provides evidence that the B-IAT is a valuable tool for quickly assessing multiple types of implicit discrimination. It shows also that implicit and explicit measures can display diverging results, thus indicating that research would benefit from the use of both these instruments. These results have important implications for the assessment of discrimination in health research as well as in social and psychological science.


Perception ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 530-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoto Yamauchi ◽  
Kazuko Shinohara ◽  
Hideyuki Tanaka

The present study investigates whether obstruent voicing may or may not affect the imagery of different strengths of motor execution. In a modified version of the implicit association test, participants responded to discrimination tasks that include viewing static pictures of athletes in motion and hearing mono-syllabic linguistic sounds. The results suggest that voiced obstruents are compatible with the motion imagery that implies stronger motor executions, whereas voiceless obstruents are compatible with the imagery that implies weaker motor executions. These results provide experimental support for crossmodal associations between the auditory perception of linguistic sounds, namely, the voicing of obstruents, and the visually induced imagery of different levels of strength in motor actions.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 675-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke Dewitte ◽  
Jan De Houwer

We used a variant of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and explicit reports to examine the assumption that attachment anxiety and avoidance are related to proximity and distance goals. Results confirmed that attachment avoidance was associated with a stronger implicit motivation for and positive evaluation of distance goals in attachment relationships. This was found both at the implicit and explicit levels and both in a threat and non‐threat context. Attachment anxiety was associated with proximity goals only when measured explicitly, but not when goal activation was measured implicitly. Our findings highlight the importance of considering both implicit and explicit goal representations when studying motivational processes in the context of attachment, and suggest that the IAT can provide a useful tool for investigating implicit motivational constructs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Stieger ◽  
Anja S. Göritz ◽  
Andreas Hergovich ◽  
Martin Voracek

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) provides a relative measure of implicit association strengths between target and attribute categories. In contrast, the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC–IAT) measures association strength with a single attribute category. This can be advantageous if a complementary category—as used in the IAT—cannot be composed or is undesired. If the SC–IAT is to be a meaningful supplement to the IAT, it should meet the same requirements. In an online experiment with a large and heterogeneous sample, the fakability of both implicit measures was investigated when measuring anxiety. Both measures were fakable through specific instruction (e.g., “Slow down your reactions”) but unfakable through nonspecific faking instruction even though nonspecific instruction was given immediately before the critical blocks (e.g., “Alter your reaction times”). When comparing the methodological quality of both implicit measures, the SC–IAT had lower internal consistency than the IAT. Moreover, with specific faking instructions, the SC–IAT was possible to fake to a larger extent than the IAT.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-310
Author(s):  
Kelly A. Malcolmson ◽  
Lisa Sinclair

Implicit and explicit stereotypes toward the title Ms. were examined. Participants read a short description of a target person whose title of address varied (Ms., Mrs., Miss, Mr.). They then rated the person on agentic and communal traits and completed an Implicit Association Test. Replicating earlier research ( Dion, 1987 ), at an explicit level, women using the title Ms. were seen as less communal than individuals using the title Mrs. or Mr. and more agentic than individuals using the titles Mrs., Mr., or Miss. This time, however, women using the title Miss were also seen as less communal and more agentic than women using the title Mrs. but not as agentic as women using the title Ms. On the implicit measure, Ms. was relatively more associated with agentic than communal traits compared to Mrs. but not to Miss.


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