Implicit-explicit discrepancies regarding racial attitudes among U.S. Whites

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Attitude Measurement
• Racial Attitudes

Background:

• Research on implicit and explicit attitude measures has advanced, focusing on their correspondence.
• Implicit-Explicit Discrepancies (IEDs) are underexplored, particularly their prevalence and distinct categories.
• Current models often assume explicit attitudes are less prejudiced than implicit attitudes, neglecting other IED types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To descriptively analyze the prevalence and patterns of IEDs in racial attitudes among U.S. Whites.
• To investigate the different ways IEDs manifest across individuals.
• To evaluate the robustness of findings across various measurement approaches.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from two large-scale samples of U.S. White participants.
• Conducted a descriptive analysis of implicit-explicit attitude discrepancies.
• Employed a variety of measures to assess racial attitudes.

Main Results:

• IEDs in racial attitudes among U.S. Whites largely align with traditional theories.
• A substantial variation in IEDs was observed, indicating nuances not fully captured by existing models.
• Findings were robust across different measures, though measure construction decisions impacted results.

Conclusions:

• IEDs in racial attitudes are prevalent and exhibit significant variation among U.S. Whites.
• Existing theoretical models may oversimplify the nature and prevalence of IEDs.
• Future research should account for the observed variation in developing theories of implicit and explicit attitudes.