Disability and assistance dog implicit association test: a novel IAT

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Animal Interaction
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Individuals with disabilities often experience stigma and negative social interactions.
• Human-animal interaction research suggests animals alter perceptions of their handlers.
• Assistance dogs are linked to increased social interactions for people with disabilities, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether implicit attitudes toward individuals with disabilities are affected by the presence of an assistance dog.
• To determine if assistance dogs alter perceiver attitudes, thereby influencing social behaviors.

Main Methods:

• 244 college students participated in the study.
• Participants completed the Attitudes of Adults to Dogs scale and a dog ownership item.
• The Disabilities and Assistance Dog Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure implicit attitudes.

Main Results:

• A significant positive implicit bias was found towards individuals with disabilities when paired with an assistance dog.
• White participants showed a greater tendency towards positive implicit attitudes compared to Black participants.
• No significant differences in implicit bias were observed based on gender or dog ownership.

Conclusions:

• The presence of assistance dogs may increase positive implicit attitudes towards individuals with disabilities.
• Assistance dogs can act as social catalysts, enhancing social interactions for people with disabilities.
• These findings contribute to understanding the role of assistance dogs in mitigating stigma and improving social inclusion.