For the Implicit Association Tests, I chose to take the happy/sad test and the good/bad tests. The results of the tests do not necessarily tell you if you are racist, homophobic, etc., but they can give you an idea about new information regarding yourself and your personality. I decided to take the happy/sad and good/bad tests because those are the two tests I was most interested in seeing the results. I already considered myself to be a happy person, as well as a good person, so I was excited to see how the test would rate me.
The first part of the test took you through a series of words. You were given the categories either “me and happy” or “me and sad”. Words such as I, myself, happy, content, etc. would come on the screen and if the category was happy, you would hit the I key on your computer. If the category was bad, you would hit the E key. I was, and still am, confused about this part of the test because I do not understand how it evaluates whether you are happy or not. I felt it was more like a “how quickly can you react” test, or a concussion test, not a personality test. The same process happened during the good/bad test. After the keyboard part, the test asked a series of questions having to do with how I would rate my self-esteem and happiness. The good/bad test asks similar style questions, but pertaining to morals. After those questions, questions about your social background, religion, ethnicity, and political views were asked. I was asked my age and gender as well. The questions relating to the test topic and the social questions seemed more reasonable and easier to transfer into personality. I feel social background and environment definitely play a huge part in happiness/sadness and whether you are a “good” or “bad” person.
My first results were what I predicted. I am more happy than sad. The only part I am questionable about is the fact the results stated I am slightly more happy than sad. I believe I am significantly more happy than sad, but I am aware these tests are not completely accurate. My second results were surprising to me. The test said I am neither a good, nor bad person. Even thinking back to the questions, I did not answer any questions with anything that would portray me as less than a good person.
I think these tests could have the potential to be helpful to college students and employers. If the tests were more accurate and maybe more extensive to get a clear interpretation of the person taking the test, then it would definitely be beneficial. Employers would be able to narrow down their potential employees easier and more quickly in order to find someone who’s personality fits with the position they are trying to fill. The tests could also potentially be helpful to college students looking to see what they are interested in, or what career path they wish to take.
