I came across a site that contained a test Harvard created for a study which tries to measure your conscious and even subconscious biases. The have bias tests for race like black and white, ethnicity, religiosity, gender preference, sexuality, disability, age, weight, weapons and ever your preference towards President Obama. I took three tests and thought my results were pretty interesting.
In the test for racial preference between African Americans and European Americans I showed a preference for African Americans.
In the test for religions I showed a strong preference for Islam, below average feelings for Christian and Jewish faith equally and well below average for Buddhism. Now I still don’t think I have any preferences toward any religion and I can probably explain my “scores” based on the words they used. I was familiar with the Muslim, Christian and Jewish terms the most and to me the Muslim terms were most recognizable while I think I subconscious conflated the Christian and Jewish terms in my mind a bit that slowed my responses. Whereas I was just not as familiar with the Buddhist terms accounting for that outlier.
In the test involving President Obama I showed no preference for him over President FDR. I think since I got all the responses “right” in this case there was no preference. You will see what I mean if you take a test.
It’s called Project Implicit® and you can click here to take a test or two.
Cher did an interesting piece about a test that measured liberal and conservative leanings about a week ago that inspired this post.
Took three of the tests – and I don’t get it.
The tests I took asked what I considered myself and I was very honest in answering, and then it just confirmed that my thoughts about my beliefs were correct.
I did get confused, as the tests changed after the first from the “e” and “i”, and the sequence of the good and the bad – and I had lots of red X’s at one point, but then I did them consecutively.
My results were that I somehow think more of Obama than Abe Lincoln, and that I think of black and white equally in not one being more angry than the other, and crap, now I forget the third.
But it seems to me that whatever I said about the outcome was somehow proven true.
Oh my eyes…
Apparently I am more inclined to have a Refresh drink with a thin, native American lesbian…Go figure…LMAO~
I did the test to see which is more annoying, taking tests like this or walking around all day wearing somebody else’s eyeglasses and shoes, and it came out about even. So I think it’s pretty accurate.
That was fun, KQ. I got burned out after just three tests–
I slightly prefer older people to young people, I have no preference between the brand “Refresh” juice than the other brand, and I have no preference between two made up names.
I wish I’d gotten more interesting topics, but as you wrote earlier, I think I got better at taking the test.
Maybe those of us on the Planet are too smart for these tests compared to the general population?
Pssst, Cher : on your last statement, methinks you’re right 😀
Really – I got into their groove fairly quickly, building up my speed just at the category that threw the results way off –
KQ is right too, that they should allow for a 5 minute practice session, THEN ya take the test – anyway, I don’t have the patience this week, am in speed-mode, working w/ grads.
—
O/T in the O/T thread :
Shout out to all College & Univ. Grads : Yes, you did it !
Happy Grad 2010 to you & Congratulations !
Well, somehow I ended up on the fat vs thin quiz. Not sure how that happened.
After a few of ’em I can’t do anymore for a while. It becomes more like a game – like Guitar Hero – than me associating, I fear.
Plus the way they do one then another set sort of spoils it, I think. I’m sure they’ve worked out the methodology and all, but when I’m blazing so fast and got the game figured out it’s like throwing a wrench in the works, a curveball.
I need to do a couple of these again, just to make sure.
I would agree that the religion one is in the works. They need to smooth some things out on that one.
I just did another one…Native American. I’ve now learned that I prefer thin people and I slightly associate Native Americans as Americans and white Americans as foreigners.
It is kind of an unpleasant test.
I get the feeling there is a sweet spot in the test. At first it probably is a measure of how well you test and after a while it’s just easier to make no “mistakes” from practice.
That’s my take too.
I went, I saw, I did not conquer 😀
I did one test (race) but found that the result wasn’t accurate at all – I attribute it to the fact that I got more co-ordinated as I got used to the right hand clicks & then the left LOL –
It misconstrued that because I got speedier with one category over the other : therefore …..therefore, it just proved (again) that I’m a rebel ….at following what the tester meant for the testees
Leaving office now & goin’ home (no computer there cause I haven’t replaced the laptop that got stolen last year) – so G’night !!
Good night Lise and sweet dreams or great reading.
You been peeking ?? LOL –
I literally just packed up 10 novels that were here in my office to take home & that’s what I’m setting out to do : read 😉
Hopefully see you demain, K !
I admit that I know that you love to read. I hope to get back to it after a trip to see about my eyes some time before summer.
Have a great weekend, put those tired feet up and relaxi vous.
See you soon.
They really should start you off with a sample test of how to take the test because I had the same problem on my first run.
OK, so I was born to Jewish parents, I believe in Naturalistic Pantheism, I’m 59 years old and I have a severe disability. Where do I fit in?
Am I the only one so far who has seen this?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36618626/ns/us_news-life/
I think I put other: other under my religious preferences because no one belief system describes my beliefs. I hedge my bets and combine about a dozen non traditional belief systems.
I did the able – disable test and I have a slight preference for able people.
dildenusa, I too fall under the disabled category but feel that sometimes we do have an edge in spite of it, we can understand both sides equally.
Have you tried the Belief-O-Matic?
http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx
Here’s me:
1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (95%)
3. Liberal Quakers (85%)
4. Neo-Pagan (76%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (74%)
6. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (73%)
7. Taoism (67%)
8. New Age (65%)
9. Nontheist (65%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (61%)
For disclosure though, like many atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, dabblers, ‘others’, freethinkers and
I suspect I’m a secular humanist working for a progressive Christian organization! On the whole, I’d rather not have that confirmed – at least until I retire!!!!
I am 100% Neo-Pagan! Who knew?
I am also 96% Mahayana Buddhist, 84% Unitarian Universalist and 78%(!) Liberal Quaker. Oddly, I am only 61% Reform Judaism. So I guess now I should call myself a Buju, instead of a Jubu. 🙂
I can guess how you came up with Neo-Pagan. Especially since Mahayana came up behind. Makes total sense. Heh, on Reform Judaism. I know I found it odd the first time, but it makes sense after I analyze the questions, that Hinduism comes up near the bottom of my list, though I have great love for it. There’s a big difference with me from respecting religions, genuinely and dearly (even identifying to an extent with them), and believing in their tenets.
I hadn’t seen that dil. I have to say, I’m glad to see these monsters being shouted down. We should drown their voices to oblivion.
Crap, my browser didn’t load the story first time around, totally miscalled that one.
Hi Dildenusa – had NOT seen this story at all. My one thought is why give the supremacists energy at all. The best thing ever is ignoring them. Now they feel empowered because they feed, like Pod People, off our energies and anger.
I am in agreement that after taking three tests, I now know how to take the test. I came up neutral on age and race, and with a slight preference for Obama over Clinton.
I thought the only interesting thing was the ending statistical bar graph – rather distressing to see how many people had strong or slight preferences for white people over Black. But I’d like it culled for the race of the participants since I’m wondering about the fact that the “faces” of Black people all seemed more tense, and I think that could skew the result. The white faces had less tension around the eyes. I’d also like to see how it plays out if some faces were clearly laughing and others not, equally divided. On the other hand, I know all too well that white people pay less attention to content and context when it comes to Black people. Kids horsing around and clearly (if you listen) having fun will be reacted to neutrally by passers by if the kids are white and fearfully if the kids are Black or Latino. It was a huge source of trouble in western NY – and it had everything to do with perceptions by white adults and far less to do with what actually was occurring. I was witness to several incidents reported to the police as “violent” when they were nothing of the kind. They were just energetic, laughing kids. Who then, because they were Black, got banned from the downtown mall. Same thing holds true though for white kids with punk/Goth/whatever garb. They are also perceived as “dangerous”. We white adults need to do the growing up!
Dilden– here I live in LA and hadn’t seen this story! I don’t usually watch news on weekends though.
But I am glad there was such a counter-protest. There is one school of thought that says: Ignore them; don’t give them the attention they crave.
There is another that says ignoring them can be seen as tacit approval– the “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for average people to do nothing.”
I don’t know which is wiser, but I’m in the second camp–shut them up. They are not internet trolls– ones who should be ignored. They are real, in person, and I think they need to be repudiated in the strongest terms.
Off to take the test, back in a sec.
EDIT:
5 minutes later, I got no further than the body lotion. I think that I have told you that I can’t follow written instructions. Now I feel truly 😳
I can tell you though that I’m not biased against any race but rather a certain type of person and race plays no role in this.
If there is a test on age (remember I didn’t get past the body lotion) then not knowing the test and walking blindfolded, here is my take on age.
I was taught to always respect my elders, even if I thought that they were wrong, they had earned the right to be who they were. I have have had some of the most interesting conversations with people who were much older than me and had gone through a war both in the U.K. and in Germany. Their recollections of how it really was to live and survive during these hard times have shaped a part of my life and I am grateful. Funnily enough, I can identify with the remote regions of our globe where people still refer to their elders for answers to everyday problems and governance. As for growing older myself, hell, bring it on, it can’t get any worse.
According to reliable sources, I was born as stubborn as a bull and will more than likely die as stubborn as one too, that doesn’t mean that I fail to listen. 🙂
The test is pretty cumbersome but I guess it has to be for measuring what they want to because not you but many people lie about their biases.
I’m sure that is it K but I couldn’t move on, it would have been interesting to finish it. Again, I can honestly say that I’m not biased against race, just against individual actions or opinions, they could be any colour, I’m colour blind in this case. Even nutty religions as long as it never affects the rest of us or becomes a basis for new laws to be passed that affect the rest of the population is ok.
Kalima – I think that sort of “take” is what brings us to the Planet. I once figured out that for me race is as relevant as height in whether I do or do not like someone. Kindness, reliability, honor, humor – all reasons to like someone. Meanness, narrowness, unreliability, sour disposition – all reasons NOT to like someone (among MANY other factors, of course). Race is so often NOT relevant, and many of us have noted people who, upon knowing someone well, do not have those racialist attitudes toward them even as they persist in having racist feelings toward the larger group.
Too bad we cannot generalize the good as quickly and deeply as we generalize the bad.
Ugh.
Bingo on it all, choicelady !!
“Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Other People and Arab Muslims.”
Wow, I took a test for that? 😆
No, seriously, I want to do more of these. I’ll bookmark it. I’m surprised I did so “well;” as I’m quite distracted at the moment.
I thought about that as well. The people that really need to take these tests are teabaggers and freepers.
Me to, bookmarked for a later day, when I have more patience –
Right now, I need some sushi 😉
Lise – uh-oh. I’m biased against sushi. Sorry! Was an Asian Studies minor in college and ate it for all our class and group studies events until one day I realized I HATE this stuff, and I’ve never eaten it since. It’s a dislike born of experience, not ethnic prejudice! Don’t like liver or beets either, and my family did. Some things, especially food preferences, just should not be a test of character! I got trashed once by a man from Manhattan who recoiled in HORROR that I put ketchup AND mustard AND relish on hamburgers – I’m Midwestern, and that’s what we did. And my reaction to him was – what’s it to YOU? But he insisted it “mattered”. I did not like him for a lot of reasons, and it was not his food presence but his insistence that he had the right to tell me how to eat that put the cap on it.
Enjoy the sushi! To each…
So funny how that ‘habitual’ stuff can lead to interesting new likes / dislikes –
I couldn’t stand ! cilantro for the longest time & now : Mexican food & anything similar ? gimme that cilantro 😀
Conversely, I love TGIFridays – would always order their spinach dip (very rich & cheesy) – had my fill to the point where it makes me almost nauseous –
But right now ? : More sushi !! 😀
Wow, what is the proper way to dress a hamburger?!
I ain’t never heard of that. But, I’m from the uncouth lumberjackin’ Northwest. It’s any wonder we don’t put split pea soup on ’em and wrap ’em in flannel, too.
FAscinating, KQ! I’ve done two – age and race – and appear to have no particular preferences, but it was challenging. Part of the issue is lack of coordination, I think; hard doing the reverse hand on things (proving I’m more set in my ways than I’d like to think!) but I do think, overall, it’s revealing. I think your revelations are fascinating. I’m now moving on.
Their methodology is very original. My innate logic says it should really start to measure subconscious biases. Like you I had some problems, especially on the first test which probably did skew my religious preferences a bit. By the third President Obama preference test I got use to the test which probably is the reason no bias resulted.