Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Autistic Adults.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neurodiversity Studies
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Research on attitudes toward autistic adults often uses self-report measures susceptible to social desirability.
• Implicit attitudes, unlike explicit ones, can predict behavioral rejection and are crucial for understanding prejudice.
• Previous studies primarily focused on children, neglecting attitudes toward autistic adults who face peer prejudice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate implicit and explicit attitudes of neurotypical adults toward autistic adults in the U.S.
• To assess how unconscious biases and conscious perceptions influence intergroup relations.
• To explore the relationship between autistic traits and implicit bias.

Main Methods:

• Developed and administered an Implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure implicit attitudes.
• Collected explicit attitude data through questionnaires on knowledge and liking of autistic adults.
• Conducted two online studies with neurotypical adults (N=94 and N=137) using varying IAT word stimuli.

Main Results:

• Participants exhibited negative implicit attitudes and positive explicit attitudes toward autistic adults across both studies.
• Study 2 revealed that higher self-reported autistic behaviors correlated with lower implicit bias.
• Findings suggest a discrepancy between conscious endorsement and unconscious associations.

Conclusions:

• Negative implicit attitudes may underlie discrimination experienced by autistic adults.
• Interventions designed to reduce implicit bias in other marginalized groups may be adaptable for autistic adults.
• Understanding implicit bias is critical for improving social inclusion and reducing prejudice.