Indirect (implicit) and direct (explicit) self-esteem measures are virtually unrelated: A meta-analysis of the...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• The Initial Preference Task (IPT) is a popular implicit measure for assessing self-esteem due to its unobtrusive nature.
• Concerns exist regarding the IPT's weak associations with direct personality measures and the need to investigate moderating variables.

Purpose of the Study:

• To meta-analytically evaluate the association between IPT-based implicit self-esteem and explicit self-esteem.
• To investigate potential moderators (e.g., algorithm, administration order, rating type, publication status, participant sex) influencing the IPT-self-esteem relationship.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis of 105 independent healthy adult samples (N=17,777) from 60 studies was conducted.
• Random- and mixed-effects models were used for summary effect estimates and subgroup analyses.
• Hierarchical multiple meta-regression and six methods for dissemination bias testing were employed.

Main Results:

• A negligible correlation (r=.102) was found between IPT-based implicit and explicit self-esteem, suggesting conceptual independence.
• The B-algorithm and single administration of the IPT showed stronger effects.
• No significant evidence of dissemination bias or decline effect was detected.

Conclusions:

• The IPT demonstrates a lack of noteworthy association with explicit self-esteem, aligning with dual-process models but questioning its suitability for implicit self-esteem assessment.
• Findings highlight the need for careful consideration of methodological factors when using the IPT.