Measurement of Implicit Associations
Human behavior is often influenced by subconscious attitudes. With conventional forms of questioning, however, these attitudes can hardly be ascertained. Our methods for measuring implicit associations provide a remedy here.
These methods are based on the realization that answers given within a few seconds are the result of automated information processing and are therefore not overlaid by rationalizations. A faster reaction speed is an indicator for a stronger association with the stimulus. We use this, for example, in packaging tests to test how strongly a brand is rooted in the interviewee’s “neuronal” system in comparison to competitors.
This method thus provides insight dimensions for communication processes that previously could not be taken into account.