A Christian Humanist Implicit Association Test: Validity and Test-Retest Reliability

The logical tension between humanistic views and traditional deity-centered religious beliefs represents an important psychological conflict for many traditionally religious individuals. Because this conflict can generate anxiety, many people may avoid it, and only encounter the issues unconsciously. We created a Christian Humanist Implicit Association Test to assess implicit evaluative responses to Humanist beliefs among Christian students. We administered the test to 233 students (96 men and 137 women) and also examined test-retest reliability on a subsample (n = 31). Validity of the test received support in correlations with established religious measures. Examples include the correlations with the Rejection of Christianity Scale (r = -.31, p < .001), and with an explicit rating of Warmth to Christianity (r = .38,p < .001). Future research should compare implicit and explicit attitudes toward humanism of differing religions and differing Christian denominations, as well as exploring religious orientations which may more comfortably integrate Christian and Humanist perspectives.