Single-attribute implicit association tests (SA-IAT) for the assessment of unipolar constructs. The case of sociosexuality.
A major problem with Implicit Association Tests (IATs) is that they require bipolar attributes (e.g., good-bad). Thus, IAT effects for an attribute category can be interpreted only relative to an opposite category. Problems arise if there is no clear opposite category; in this case, a neutral category can be used, although it induces systematic error variance and thus reduces validity. The present study suggests that this problem can be solved using single-attribute IATs (SA-IATs). Sociosexuality (the tendency to engage in uncommitted sex) was expected to be related at the implicit level to stronger stranger-sex associations relative to partner-sex associations. An IAT was constructed that used conversation as a neutral attribute; it showed satisfactory reliability but only low correlations with explicit sociosexuality. An alternative SA-IAT with sex as the only attribute showed a similar reliability but higher correlations with explicit sociosexuality.
Penke
Lars
L
Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. lars.penke@staff.hu-berlin.de
Eichstaedt
Jan
J
Asendorpf
Jens B
JB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001245:Association Learning; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012919:Social Behavior