TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring Automatic Cognition
T2 - Advancing Dual-Process Research in Sociology
AU - Miles, Andrew
AU - Charron-Chenier, Raphael
AU - Schleifer, Cyrus
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants from the sociology departments at Duke University and the University of Toronto.
Publisher Copyright:
© American Sociological Association 2019.
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - Dual-process models are increasingly popular in sociology as a framework for theorizing the role of automatic cognition in shaping social behavior. However, empirical studies using dual-process models often rely on ad hoc measures such as forced-choice surveys, observation, and interviews whose relationships to underlying cognitive processes are not fully established. In this article, we advance dual-process research in sociology by (1) proposing criteria for measuring automatic cognition, and (2) assessing the empirical performance of two popular measures of automatic cognition developed by psychologists. We compare the ability of the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT), the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP), and traditional forced-choice measures to predict process-pure estimates of automatic influences on individuals’ behavior during a survey task. Results from three studies focusing on politics, morality, and racial attitudes suggest the AMP provides the most valid and consistent measure of automatic cognitive processes. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for sociological practice.
AB - Dual-process models are increasingly popular in sociology as a framework for theorizing the role of automatic cognition in shaping social behavior. However, empirical studies using dual-process models often rely on ad hoc measures such as forced-choice surveys, observation, and interviews whose relationships to underlying cognitive processes are not fully established. In this article, we advance dual-process research in sociology by (1) proposing criteria for measuring automatic cognition, and (2) assessing the empirical performance of two popular measures of automatic cognition developed by psychologists. We compare the ability of the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT), the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP), and traditional forced-choice measures to predict process-pure estimates of automatic influences on individuals’ behavior during a survey task. Results from three studies focusing on politics, morality, and racial attitudes suggest the AMP provides the most valid and consistent measure of automatic cognitive processes. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for sociological practice.
KW - automatic cognition
KW - dual-process models
KW - measurement
KW - practical consciousness
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U2 - 10.1177/0003122419832497
DO - 10.1177/0003122419832497
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85063014989
VL - 84
SP - 308
EP - 333
JO - American Sociological Review
JF - American Sociological Review
SN - 0003-1224
IS - 2
ER -