Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound
Meta-analytic data highlight the value of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as an indirect measure of personality. Based on evidence suggesting that confounding factors such as cognitive abilities contribute to the IAT effect, this study provides a first investigation of whether basic personality...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00672/full |
| _version_ | 1818266122940579840 |
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| author | Monika eFleischhauer Sören eEnge Robert eMiller Alexander eStrobel Anja eStrobel |
| author_facet | Monika eFleischhauer Sören eEnge Robert eMiller Alexander eStrobel Anja eStrobel |
| author_sort | Monika eFleischhauer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Meta-analytic data highlight the value of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as an indirect measure of personality. Based on evidence suggesting that confounding factors such as cognitive abilities contribute to the IAT effect, this study provides a first investigation of whether basic personality traits explain unwanted variance in the IAT. In a gender-balanced sample of 204 volunteers, the Big-Five dimensions were assessed via self-report, peer-report, and IAT. By means of structural equation modeling, latent Big-Five personality factors (based on self- and peer-report) were estimated and their predictive value for unwanted variance in the IAT was examined. In a first analysis, unwanted variance was defined in the sense of method-specific variance which may result from differences in task demands between the two IAT block conditions and which can be mirrored by the absolute size of the IAT effects. In a second analysis, unwanted variance was examined in a broader sense defined as those systematic variance components in the raw IAT scores that are not explained by the latent implicit personality factors. In contrast to the absolute IAT scores, this also considers biases associated with the direction of IAT effects (i.e., whether they are positive or negative in sign), biases that might result, for example, from the IAT’s stimulus or category features. None of the explicit Big-Five factors was predictive for method-specific variance in the IATs (first analysis). However, when considering unwanted variance that goes beyond pure method-specific variance (second analysis), a substantial effect of neuroticism occurred that may have been driven by the affective valence of IAT attribute categories and the facilitated processing of negative stimuli, typically associated with neuroticism. The findings thus point to the necessity of using attribute category labels and stimuli of similar affective valence in personality IATs to avoid confounding due to recoding. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T20:01:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fc147f798da4c4aa1015cf45a9713a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T20:01:41Z |
| publishDate | 2013-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fc147f798da4c4aa1015cf45a9713a92022-12-22T00:13:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782013-09-01410.3389/fpsyg.2013.0067260485Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confoundMonika eFleischhauer0Sören eEnge1Robert eMiller2Alexander eStrobel3Anja eStrobel4Technische Universitaet DresdenTechnische Universitaet DresdenTechnische Universitaet DresdenTechnische Universitaet DresdenTechnische Universitaet DresdenMeta-analytic data highlight the value of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as an indirect measure of personality. Based on evidence suggesting that confounding factors such as cognitive abilities contribute to the IAT effect, this study provides a first investigation of whether basic personality traits explain unwanted variance in the IAT. In a gender-balanced sample of 204 volunteers, the Big-Five dimensions were assessed via self-report, peer-report, and IAT. By means of structural equation modeling, latent Big-Five personality factors (based on self- and peer-report) were estimated and their predictive value for unwanted variance in the IAT was examined. In a first analysis, unwanted variance was defined in the sense of method-specific variance which may result from differences in task demands between the two IAT block conditions and which can be mirrored by the absolute size of the IAT effects. In a second analysis, unwanted variance was examined in a broader sense defined as those systematic variance components in the raw IAT scores that are not explained by the latent implicit personality factors. In contrast to the absolute IAT scores, this also considers biases associated with the direction of IAT effects (i.e., whether they are positive or negative in sign), biases that might result, for example, from the IAT’s stimulus or category features. None of the explicit Big-Five factors was predictive for method-specific variance in the IATs (first analysis). However, when considering unwanted variance that goes beyond pure method-specific variance (second analysis), a substantial effect of neuroticism occurred that may have been driven by the affective valence of IAT attribute categories and the facilitated processing of negative stimuli, typically associated with neuroticism. The findings thus point to the necessity of using attribute category labels and stimuli of similar affective valence in personality IATs to avoid confounding due to recoding.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00672/fullPersonalityImplicit Association Testneuroticismunwanted variancemethod variance |
| spellingShingle | Monika eFleischhauer Sören eEnge Robert eMiller Alexander eStrobel Anja eStrobel Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound Frontiers in Psychology Personality Implicit Association Test neuroticism unwanted variance method variance |
| title | Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| title_full | Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| title_fullStr | Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| title_short | Neuroticism explains unwanted variance in Implicit Association Tests of personality: Possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| title_sort | neuroticism explains unwanted variance in implicit association tests of personality possible evidence for an affective valence confound |
| topic | Personality Implicit Association Test neuroticism unwanted variance method variance |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00672/full |
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