For my Health Equity class, a recent assignment required completion of two Implicit Association Tests (IAT). I guess I need to start with this statement – this is not the first class for which I have had to examine my own biases. Yes, I do have them. I did not like how these tests were set up for a number of reasons. The first reason was that the responses for each question had to be either black or white (literally and/or figuratively); there were no “shades of gray” to choose from. I felt that this test measured my memory, not my bias. People are on a continuum; they are not all good or all bad. The requirement of hand-eye coordination and association assumed skills that not all people possess. I felt that the IAT measured my reaction time with association, not my bias in a particular direction. I wondered whether it was considered whether the person taking the test was right or left-handed and which hand reacts faster. Secondly, the first test that I took (racial bias) was based on facial recognition (nose and eyes), but there is so much more as to how a person is perceived, such as by the way they stand, how their mouth is positioned, tone of their voice, and other things.
When I read about the background information and the test creators’ belief that this test examines your unconscious feelings, I became angry. I did not agree with their assessment of my unconscious beliefs. As a person who does not memorize well, I made several test-taking mistakes that were not due to bias. I took both the racial bias and gay bias tests. I do feel that I have minimal bias in both areas (however I do have bias as to large and loud individuals of any color). I have a brother who is black and I am white and about half my friends are not of white or of American origin. I am also Gay and have many friends who are, at minimum, nonbinary.
These tests might at best measure some type of stereotype but to claim that they measure attitudes, prejudice, or racism appears to be a stretch. I wish they asked a follow up question as to whether the test accurately assessed your beliefs. I would be curious about the percentage of test-takers who agreed with their assessment.