Can we reduce our latent prejudice? An examination of the Asian cultural assimilator with the use of the Implicit Association Test

Three explicit measures of prejudice and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) were used to examine the effectiveness of a theory-based culture assimilator on reducing implicit and explicit prejudice. It was hypothesized that both explicit and implicit scores would be reduced by the assimilator. The data did not support either hypothesis.; Measures of explicit prejudice were not affected by the assimilator. Though no significant differences were found between the control and experimental groups, there were significant differences found on the Implicit Association Test within the experimental group. Men demonstrated slower reaction times, indicated by higher IAT scores after the assimilator, while women demonstrated faster reaction times, indicated by lower IAT scores after the assimilator. Post-hoc analysis of pretest scores found that men were significantly higher on the Modern Racism Scale than women. This trend was also seen on the Discrimination and Diversity Scales, though it did not reach significance.; The data in this study and other recent studies, further questions what the IAT is measuring. It now appears more likely that the IAT is tapping into an affective component of attitudes and prejudice. It is uncertain why explicit scores of prejudice did not change after training with the assimilator. One possibility is that by openly informing participants of the purpose of the study—to study prejudice—, adjustments for social appropriateness were made prior to pre-testing. Alternatively, the assimilator may not be effective in shifting explicit scores of prejudice.