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9 - What Is the Unique Contribution of Implicit Measures in Predicting Political Choices?

from Section II - Do Measures of Implicit Bias Predict Cognition and Behavior?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2024

By
Josh Pasek  and
Steven T. Moore
Edited by
Jon A. Krosnick ,
Tobias H. Stark  and
Amanda L. Scott
Jon A. Krosnick
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Tobias H. Stark
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Amanda L. Scott
Affiliation:
The Strategy Team, Columbus, Ohio
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Summary

How do implicit and explicit racial attitudes compare in their ability to predict political attitudes and behaviors? Data from existing studies suggest that implicit measures may be less relevant than explicit ones for predicting vote choice. This chapter replicates that result using data from 2008 and 2012 and considers whether the dominance of explicit measures in this domain can be attributed to the fact that voting is a highly considered action, wherein individuals may have taken steps to mitigate their own biases. To assess this, we use nationally representative panel survey data to examine whether the relative dominance of explicit measures over the Affect Misattribution Procedure was similarly true across the campaign season and for alternative outcomes that may have encouraged less cognitive control than voting. Results indicate that explicit measures were more predictive for the vast majority of political outcomes. This raises questions about the added value of considering implicit measures in addition to explicit ones when measuring political attitudes and behaviors.

Keywords

Affect Misattribution Procedureracial resentmentvote choicepolitical attitudesimplicit vs explicit measures
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Implicit Bias and Racism , pp. 262 - 278
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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