{"id":37867,"date":"2026-01-19T12:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/?post_type=zusatzmaterial&p=37867"},"modified":"2026-01-19T12:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T11:59:16","slug":"3-4-measurement-of-implicit-attitudes-using-the-implicit-association-test-iat","status":"publish","type":"zusatzmaterial","link":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/zusatzmaterial\/3-4-messung-impliziter-einstellung-mittels-implizitem-assoziationstest-iat\/","title":{"rendered":"3-4: Measuring implicit attitudes using the implicit association test (IAT)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marketing textbook, Keywords<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Consumer behaviour \u2192 Mental processes \u2192 Activating processes \u2192 Attitudes (Chapter 3.4.1.4)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The implicit association test (IAT) developed by Greenwald et al. (1998, p. 1464 ff.) is based on the principle of priming, whereby a distinction must be made between semantic and affective priming (Wittenbrink, 2007, p. 25 ff.).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semantic priming means that individuals react more quickly to a word (e.g. \u201ecow\u201c) if a word with an associative connection (e.g. \u201emilk\u201c) was mentioned shortly beforehand. In comparison, the reaction time is longer if they have previously been confronted with a word without an associative link (e.g. \u201eaeroplane\u201c). This phenomenon is explained by activation by means of the associative link between the two words \u201ecow\u201c and \u201emilk\u201c. Similarly, affective priming occurs when a person reacts faster because they were presented with a stimulus with the same valence (e.g. \u201ebeach\u201c = positive) before the stimulus to be evaluated (e.g. \u201esun cream\u201c = positive). The reaction time is correspondingly longer if the previously presented stimulus has a different valence (e.g. \u201edirt\u201c = negative). The evaluation of the IAT is based on the assumption that different reaction times when assigning terms to relevant attitude objects represent different attitudes (Lane et al., 2007).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following example illustrates the ideal-typical sequence of the IAT: This involves the attitude of conservative East German consumers towards products of different origins. The results of the IAT provide reaction times that can be used to test the assumption that the test subjects have a more negative attitude towards products from West Germany than towards products from East Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The test consists of the following five phases. By pressing the \u201eA\u201c and \u201eL\u201c keys, the test subjects have to categorise stimuli that either consist of a specific attribute (positive or negative terms) or belong to one of two target concepts that do not overlap (Eastern product or Western product).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. In the first phase (\u201etarget concept classification\u201c), the test subjects have to assign various randomised stimuli to the correct target category as quickly as possible by pressing the correct button for \u201eEast product\u201c or \u201eWest product\u201c.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"Schematic
    Figure 1: First phase of the IAT - target concept classification <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    1. In the second phase (\u201eattribute classification\u201c), the task is to assign various randomised stimuli to the correct attribute category as quickly as possible by pressing the correct button for positive or negative words. The first two phases of the test serve to familiarise the test subjects with a specific action pattern (assignment of \u201eeastern product\u201c or \u201epositive\u201c \u2192 \u201eA\u201c button \/ \u201ewestern product\u201c or \u201enegative\u201c \u2192 \u201eL\u201c button).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"Schematic
      Figure 2: Second phase of the IAT - attribute classification<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      1. The first actual measurement takes place in the third phase of the test (\u201emixed classification\u201c). Here, the target categories from phase 1 are linked with the attribute categories from phase 2. The test subjects are now asked to assign the listed stimuli as quickly as possible to the correct category formed from the attribute and target concepts using the answer keys.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"Illustration
        Figure 3: Third phase of the IAT - mixed classification<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        1. In the fourth phase (\u201ereverse target concept classification\u201c), the test subjects must again assign various randomised stimuli to the correct target concept category as quickly as possible, as in the first phase. However, the corresponding buttons are reversed. The assignment \u201eWestern product\u201c \u2192 button \u201eA\u201c and \u201eEastern product\u201c \u2192 button \u201eL\u201c now applies. The behaviour pattern \u201elearned\u201c in the previous phases is therefore broken.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"Illustration
          Figure 4: Fourth phase of the IAT - reverse target concept classification<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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          1. In the final test phase of the IAT (\u201ereverse mixed classification\u201c), the test subjects must assign the randomised stimuli to the correct category formed from the attribute and target concept as quickly as possible, as in the third phase. However, the categories are now mixed in reverse, so that the categorisation in phase 5 corresponds to the reverse target concept-attribute classification from phase 3. The assignment \u201eWestern product\/positive\u201c \u2192 button \u201eA\u201c and \u201eEastern product\/negative\u201c \u2192 button \u201eL\u201c must therefore be carried out.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"This
            Figure 5: Fifth phase of the IAT - reverse mixed classification <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

            The evaluation is carried out by comparing the reaction times in the third phase with those in the fifth phase, as here the stimuli had to be assigned to the combinations of target concepts and attributes. This means that, due to the priming effect, there must be faster and slower reaction times in these two phases, depending on which combination in which phase corresponds more closely to the respondent's associations (Felser, 2015, p. 258 ff.). Normally, people react faster in the phase that has a compatible association for them, i.e. strong associations between attribute and target concept considerably simplify the correct assignment of a stimulus. Incompatibility between the two stimulus categories, on the other hand, leads to longer reaction times. A more positive attitude of the test subjects towards eastern products would therefore be noticeable in the difference in reaction time between the third phase (short reaction time) and the fifth phase (long reaction time). The IAT effect is therefore interpreted as a measure of the strength of associative links between the target concepts and the attribute values.<\/p>\n\n\n

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            Sources:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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            • Felser, G.: Werbe- und Konsumentenpsychologie, 4th edition, Berlin - Heidelberg 2015.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Greenwald, A. G.\/McGhee, D. E.\/Schwartz, J. K. L.: Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test; in: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1998, Vol. 74, No. 6, pp. 1464-1480.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Lane, K. A.\/Banaji, M. R.\/Nosek, B. A.\/Greenwald, A. G.: Understanding and Using the Implicit Association Test: What We Know (So Far) about the Method; in: Wittenbrink, B.\/Schwarz, N. (eds.): Implicit Measures of Attitudes, New York 2007, pp. 59-102.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Wittenbrink, B.: Measuring Attitudes through Priming, in: Wittenbrink, B.\/Schwarz, N. (eds.): Implicit Measures of Attitudes, New York 2007, pp. 17-58.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_piecal_is_recurring":false,"_piecal_recurring_interval":1,"_piecal_recurring_frequency":"","_piecal_recurring_exact_position":false,"_piecal_recurring_end":"","_piecal_color":"","_piecal_text_color":"","_piecal_global_color_master":false,"_piecal_rsets":"[]","_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"greyd_block_editor_preview":[],"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":""},"zusatzmaterial_category":[3287,3255],"zusatzmaterial_tag":[3288],"zielgruppen":[1874],"kontakt-zuordnung":[3203],"projekt":[1422],"institut-oder-einric":[683],"stg-zuordnung":[696],"zusatzbereiche":[1602],"fachbereich":[804],"wf_zusatzmaterial_folders":[3274],"ppma_author":[1400],"class_list":["post-37867","zusatzmaterial","type-zusatzmaterial","status-publish","hentry","zusatzmaterial_category-kapitel-3","zusatzmaterial_category-marketing-lehrbuch","zusatzmaterial_tag-kapitel-3","zielgruppen-studierende","kontakt-zuordnung-stglassl","projekt-n-a","institut-oder-einric-sensoriklabor","stg-zuordnung-n-a","zusatzbereiche-_n-a","fachbereich-n-a"],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zusatzmaterial\/37867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zusatzmaterial"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/zusatzmaterial"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"zusatzmaterial_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zusatzmaterial_category?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"zusatzmaterial_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zusatzmaterial_tag?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"zielgruppen","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zielgruppen?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"kontakt-zuordnung","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kontakt-zuordnung?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"projekt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projekt?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"institut-oder-einric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institut-oder-einric?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"stg-zuordnung","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stg-zuordnung?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"zusatzbereiche","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zusatzbereiche?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"fachbereich","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fachbereich?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"wf_zusatzmaterial_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_zusatzmaterial_folders?post=37867"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hs-nordhausen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=37867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}