Review Paper: Implicit and Explicit Attitude in Psychology

Abstract

This essay explores how attitudes, both explicit and implicit, influence behaviour in people, highlighting the unique qualities and implications of each. Implicit attitudes function at an unconscious level and frequently influence behaviour without the subject being aware of it, whereas explicit attitudes are conscious ideas that people may readily articulate. These implicit biases can persist even when explicit attitudes shift, making them a key focus in research on social behavior, prejudice, and decision-making. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) has been a central tool for measuring these biases, although its reliability has been debated. Research indicates that people's actions can be subtly influenced by implicit attitudes, such as gender or racial biases, which can be in opposition to their stated beliefs. According to the article, treatments including exposure to counter-stereotypical instances and implicit bias training can help lessen these unconscious prejudices. In order to have a better understanding of how implicit bias attitudes form and change, future research should focus on exploring cultural variances and improving the measurement's reliability.