My results showed no preference for either group, which didn’t surprise me. For years, I have intentionally worked to expose myself to diverse perspectives and individuals, aiming to prevent my brain from forming strong automatic associations between certain concepts and specific groups. This helps reduce the likelihood of activating biased associations when encountering different identities.

In my social psychology class, I assign students to take the IAT as part of our bias chapter, followed by a reflection question. I encourage them not to get defensive about their results but instead to use it as a learning opportunity—to think critically about what experiences might have shaped their associations.

At its core, the IAT measures which associations are stronger in your mind by assessing reaction time—concepts that are more strongly linked take less time to identify. These associations are shaped by everything we are exposed to: culture, social media, family, friends, and personal experiences. That’s why it’s so important to seek out diverse representations of different groups—to ensure our mental associations are more balanced and less influenced by bias.