title: Disability and assistance dog implicit association test: a novel IAT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individuals with disabilities often face stigma and negative social interactions. Human-animal interaction literature suggests that an individual paired with an animal will be perceived differently than an individual alone. Although people with disabilities report increases in social interactions when with assistance dogs, the reasons for this remain unclear. One possibility is that attitudes toward people with disabilities are altered by the presence of assistance dogs, thus affecting the social behaviors of the perceiver. This study examines whether implicit attitudes toward individuals with disabilities differ in the presence of an assistance dog.
  
  
  METHODS
  College students (N = 244) completed the Attitudes of Adults to Dogs scale, an item assessing dog ownership, and the Disabilities and Assistance Dog Implicit Association Test (IAT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 1-sample t test demonstrated a significant IAT effect, t(240) = 3.62, p < .001, with a positive implicit bias observed toward an individual with a disability when paired with an assistance dog over the individual alone. White individuals were more likely than Black individuals to hold positive implicit attitudes toward an individual with a disability paired with a dog, F(2, 238) = 3.18, p = .04. There were no significant differences in IAT D scores based on gender or dog ownership.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study extends previous research regarding social interactions for individuals with disabilities who are paired with assistance dogs. Increases in positive implicit attitudes toward an individual with a disability paired with a dog may explain these changes in social interactions. Dogs may serve as a social lubricant, increasing positive social interactions for individuals with disabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Annalucia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bays
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Joy-Gaba
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research.
authors.forename: Edward L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Boone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001244:Association; D001294:Attitude to Health; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult