Implementation of a computer based Implicit Association Test as a measure of attitudes toward individuals with disabilities

The Implicit Association Test (IAT, Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) was adapted for use in assessing attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Four disability exemplars were used: individuals with ... a) alcoholism, b) cancer, c) mental illness, and d) paraplegia. Two experiments found a difference in implicit attitudes expressed against each exemplar. Additionally, these implicit attitudes were not related to gender or race. The IAT demonstrated construct validity as it was related to a well accepted paper-and-pencil measure of the construct, the Interaction with Disabled Person's Scale (IDP; Gething, 1994). However, the IAT was susceptible to socially desirable responding and scores on the IAT went down over successive administrations calling into question the "implicit" nature of the measure.