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| International Symposium - The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Investigating Implicit Attitudes in Health and Social Research |
| Tuesday, May 27, 2008 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| El |
| Area: EAB/VBC; Domain: Basic Research |
| Chair: Patricia M. Power (National University of Ireland, Maynooth) |
| Abstract: The objective of the current symposium is to further validate a relatively new methodology, namely the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). Each of the four studies presented, aim to demonstrate the advantages the IRAP provides relative to other implicit attitudinal measures (e.g., the Implicit Association Test: IAT, Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998), and explicit measures. The IRAP was designed to measure implicit relations (Hayes et al., 2001). It emerged from Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a modern behavioural approach to human language and cognition (a central postulate of which is that higher-cognitive functioning is composed of relational acts, Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001). Initial studies have shown that the IRAP may be used to measure relational networks or attitudes that individuals are either unaware of or may wish to conceal (Barnes-Holmes, Barnes-Holmes, Power, Hayden, Milne, & Stewart, 2006). The IRAP appears to offer advantages over other reaction time-based attitudinal measures (e.g. the Implicit Association Test), both in its theoretical rationale and its ability to measure many types of relationships (Barnes-Holmes et al., 2006). The current Symposium presents studies that have explored the use of the IRAP across a range of domains, including attitudes toward sexual orientation, race, smoking, and food. |
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| Measuring Race-related Implicit Attitudes, using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). |
| PATRICIA M. POWER (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| Abstract: This paper presents a series of studies that sought to determine if the IRAP can be used to assess implicit racial stereotypes. Each participant completed an implicit measure (the IRAP) and a range of explicit measures so that the two could be compared. The IRAP involved presenting the sample stimuli “I think WHITE people are” and “I think BLACK people are” with either positive target words (e.g., “Friendly”, “Honest”) or negative target words (“Hostile”, “Deceitful”). Each trial presented two response options; “True” and “False”. Analysis indicated that response latencies depended upon the direction of the task (Pro-White/Anti-Black or Pro-Black/Anti-White) and the race of the sample stimuli. Specifically, White Irish participants showed an in-group, Pro-White, bias, responding more rapidly to White-Positive-True and White-Negative-False trials, than White-Negative-True and White-Positive-False trials. In contrast, participants showed a relatively neutral response to Black people. Consistent with previous research in this domain (e.g., Dasgupta, McGhee, Greenwald, and Banaji, 2000), there were no significant correlations between the implicit and explicit measures. The current findings, therefore, provide preliminary evidence that the IRAP may be used to reveal socially sensitive attitudes, which are not expressed using a typical explicit measure. |
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| The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Do We Really Believe that Gay People are Abnormal? |
| CLAIRE CULLEN (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| Abstract: This paper presents a series of studies that sought to determine if implicit and explicit homonegativity would (a) be related; (b) differ as a function of group status; and (c) prove impervious to contextual and situational variation. Using a known-groups approach (N = 20 heterosexual; N = 18 non-heterosexual) the IRAP in Experiment 1, presented the sample terms “Straight” and “Gay” with a series of positive and negative target stimuli (e.g., ‘normal,’ and ‘abnormal’). The response options “Similar” and “Opposite” were presented on each trial and participants were required to respond with speed and accuracy. Experiment 2 (N = 47 heterosexuals) sought to determine if the same IRAP would prove robust against prior exposure to an unrelated IRAP and to variations in the assessment situation (i.e., public vs. private). Explicit attitudes were assessed via a range of explicit measures. Results showed that implicit and explicit attitudes were unrelated. In addition, between group differences emerged on the ‘Gay-Negative’ IRAP trials. Specifically, heterosexuals confirmed Gay-Negative statements more quickly than non-heterosexuals who denied them more quickly. Furthermore, in Experiment 2, the IRAP proved impervious to contextual and situational variation. The results suggest that the IRAP may provide a valid measure of implicit homonegativity. |
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| Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Influences of Deprivation and Smoking-history on Implicit Relational Responding. |
| NIGEL AUGUSTINE VAHEY (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| Abstract: IRAP research examining pro- and anti- smoking beliefs suggests that IRAP-indices can distinguish smokers from non-smokers, correlate significantly with smoking-behaviors in predictable patterns, and can identify stigmatised responses not detected by analogous questionnaire measures. However, the previous IRAP data are derived from smokers with whom the level of smoking-deprivation is standardised at 1 hour. Smokers’ relational responses likely vary as a function of the length of time since their last cigarette. Furthermore, the effect of deprivation on implicit relational responses likely interacts with how established pro-smoking relational responses are in the smoker’s repertoire. The current study explores these issues by administering smoking-IRAPs to short- and long-term smokers at varying levels of smoking deprivation ranging from satiated to moderate deprivation. Sampling of smokers in terms of length of time smoking was supplemented with other measures relevant to a pro-smoking relational bias (e.g., number of failed quit attempts). The results have implications for understanding how implicit processes involved in tobacco-addiction vary with deprivation, aspects of smoking-history, and thus concepts of psychological dependence. |
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| The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: Investigating the Effects of Hunger Manipulations on Implicit Food Attitudes. |
| IAN MCKENNA (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| Abstract: This study sought to use the IRAP to investigate implicit hunger responses to food in obese and normal-weight individuals. The IRAP involved presenting individuals with the two sample stimuli, “Makes Me Feel VERY Hungry” or “Makes Me Feel SLIGHTLY Hungry” with pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods. For half the trials participants were required to respond (Makes Me Feel VERY Hungry – Unhealthy Food – True) and for the remaining trials in the opposite direction (Makes Me Feel VERY Hungry – Unhealthy Food – False). A range of explicit measures were also used. Normal-weight individuals did not discriminate between unhealthy and healthy food when hungry or satiated but, demonstrated a strong unhealthy food bias in a random-hunger state. This was not reflected in the explicit measures. Correlational analysis indicated that implicit-explicit correlations were absent or weak. Conclusions will be discussed. |
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