A Modified Implicit Association Test to Study Bias in Decision Making

Abstract

The role that bias plays in decision making is a topic with significant societal implications. To understand that bias better, it is useful to be able to study it under controlled laboratory conditions. To facilitate this study, a modified implicit association test (IAT) which makes use of the mouse rather than the keyboard was designed. By tracking the mouse movement and varying the inter-trial interval (ITI) in the IAT, new information can be gathered to shed light on the underlying decision process. In this project the drift diffusion model (DDM) is considered as a potential model for the decision making in the IAT. The predictions of the DDM are compared to the changes in behavior seen as the ITI is varied.