Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions by participants. The responses we provide are our best summary of the current state of the research. As new evidence is collected, scientific understanding grows, as do our reactions in this section. If you asked these questions to other scientists who study these areas, many would agree with our answers, but some would disagree. This is a regular component of the scientific process in which scientists gather evidence and attempt to draw the best conclusions possible based on the findings. Science advances as a result of discussions and conflicts informed by theory and data.
Occupational gender stereotypes are preconceived notions about a suitable gender of a job holder. People have clear ideas about which gender is commonly suited for certain occupations. It refers to assumptions about how well a gender group's traits match the expectations of occupation. Male occupations' stereotypical characteristics (such as the requirement for agency, coldness, and toughness) and female occupations' stereotypical characteristics (such as the notion that women are polite, aware of others' needs, and caring) may thus differ from one another. As a result, there is a perceived mismatch between occupational demands and associated gender characteristics.
Stereotypes can be measured explicitly by asking you to deliberately think about and report your beliefs. An implicit measure of stereotypes assesses those associations indirectly, typically using reaction times.
A person’s explicit and implicit stereotypes may be similar or different, depending on a number of factors. For example, a person might believe that men and women are equally good at math and arts but might be faster to associate math with men and arts with women relative to the reverse pairing.
The OGIAT is designed to gauge the strength of associations between occupational categories and binary gender. The test is based on the concept that responding becomes easier when two mentally linked items share the same response key.
For instance, if you respond faster during trials when Science is paired with males (and Arts with females) compared to trials when Science is paired with females (and Art with males), we would interpret it as evidence of an implicit preference for Flowers over Insects.
Most academic psychologists use the term 'prejudice' to describe individuals who express negative attitudes toward a particular social group. According to this definition, displaying an implicit preference for one group over another does not necessarily mean a person is prejudiced. Some individuals who exhibit such preferences might also report having prejudiced attitudes, while others may not. The crucial point is that the OGIAT cannot determine whether a person is prejudiced or not because it is not a measure based on explicit or self-reported information.
The OGIAT aims to assess biases that might not be personally endorsed and could even contradict a person's conscious beliefs. Therefore, your behavior on the OGIAT can indicate the presence of an implicit preference, which may or may not align with the attitude you would report on an explicit measure.
In essence, taking the OGIAT and finding that one might hold biases or stereotypes about people from different groups provides an opportunity for reflection on how to best address or challenge these associations. It opens the door to self-awareness and encourages individuals to consider ways to mitigate any potential biases they may have.
We provide the labels 'slight,' 'moderate,' and 'strong' to assist you in understanding the magnitude of bias based on your response times in the OGIAT. These labels indicate how much faster you responded to different pairing conditions. For instance, if you were significantly quicker in pairing High Skill Occupations + Male/ Low Skill Occupations + Female compared to High Skill Occupations + Female/ Low Skill Occupation + Male, you would receive your score on an email and suggested category stating that a Strong automatic association of Male with High skill occupations and Female with Low skill occupations".
We chose these words following scientific conventions for effectively communicating the size of an effect. They serve as a way to help you approximate the degree of bias you demonstrated during the test.
The OGIAT involves sorting words into categories based on a set of rules. For instance, you might be asked to sort high-skill occupations and females using the E key. Pressing the E key when you see a high-skill occupation or female is considered a correct response, while pressing the other key is counted as an error, indicated by a red 'X.'
To provide meaningful feedback, there is a predetermined cut-off for the number of errors allowed during the task. If you receive feedback stating that you made enough errors during one or both pairings, your OGIAT score is likely not meaningful.