Medical Student Perception of Strabismus in Race Implicit Association Test.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Ophthalmology
• Sociology

Background:

• Implicit Association Tests (IATs) are widely used to measure unconscious biases.
• Strabismus, or misaligned eyes, can be a visible characteristic.
• Previous research indicates that visible traits can influence social perceptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether medical students perceive strabismus in photographs used in a race Implicit Association Test (IAT).
• To determine if the perception of strabismus differs based on the depicted race of individuals.

Main Methods:

• Medical students evaluated photographs from a race IAT for the presence of strabismus.
• Statistical analysis compared the frequency of perceived strabismus between individuals of African and European descent.

Main Results:

• Strabismus was perceived more frequently in photographs of individuals of African descent (62%) compared to European descent (31%).
• This perception bias was also noted among participants identifying as Black or African American.

Conclusions:

• Photographs in the race IAT exhibit differences in perceived extraocular alignment, not just ethnicity.
• The presence of perceived strabismus may introduce bias, necessitating cautious interpretation of this specific IAT's results.
• Investigating visual characteristics in IATs is crucial for understanding and mitigating unconscious bias.