Relationship between the Implicit Association Test and explicit measures of intergroup cognition: Data from the meta-analysis by Kurdi et al. (2018)
In the present report we provide a brief summary of the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of social cognition based on the meta-analytic database analyzed in more detail with respect to the relationship between measures of social cognition and measures of intergroup behavior by Kurdi et al. (2018). In the present analysis, a statistically significant but small relationship emerged between implicit and parallel explicit measures of attitudes, stereotypes, and identity. The implicit–explicit relationship was characterized by high levels of statistical heterogeneity, thus making moderator analyses necessary. Implicit and explicit measures were more highly correlated with each other in studies (a) of sexual orientation (relative to other target group categories), (b) using the improved scoring algorithm to index IAT performance, (c) conducted using real-world or online samples (relative to general, student, and preselected samples), (d) conducted using foreign samples (relative to U.S. samples), and (e) conducted by authors with higher levels of experience involving the Implicit Association Test. Other variables that, based on theoretical or practical considerations, may have been expected to produce an effect had no impact.