Abstract
BackgroundThe initial preference task (IPT) is an implicit measure that has featured prominently in the literature and enjoys high popularity because it offers to provide an unobtrusive and objective assessment of self-esteem that is easy to administer. However, its use for self-esteem assessment may be limited because of weak associations with direct personality measures. Moreover, moderator effects of sample- and study-related variables need investigation to determine the value of IPT-based assessments of self-esteem.MethodsConventional and grey-literature database searches, as well as screening of reference lists of obtained articles, yielded a total of 105 independent healthy adult samples (N = 17,777) originating from 60 studies. Summary effect estimates and subgroup analyses for potential effect moderators (e.g., administration order, algorithm, rating type) were calculated by means of meta-analytic random- and mixed-effects models. Moreover, we accounted for potential influences of publication year, publication status (published vs. not), and participant sex in a weighted stepwise hierarchical multiple meta-regression. We tested for dissemination bias through six methods.ResultsThere was no noteworthy correlation between IPT-based implicit and explicit self-esteem (r = .102), indicating conceptual independence of these two constructs. Effects were stronger when the B-algorithm was used for calculation of IPT-scores and the IPT was administered only once, whilst all other moderators did not show significant influences. Regression analyses revealed a somewhat stronger (albeit non-significant) effect for men. Moreover, there was no evidence for dissemination bias or a decline effect, although effects from published studies were numerically somewhat stronger than unpublished effects.DiscussionWe show that there is no noteworthy association between IPT-based implicit and explicit self-esteem, which is broadly consistent with dual-process models of implicit and explicit evaluations on the one hand, but also casts doubt on the suitability of the IPT for the assessment of implicit self-esteem on the other hand.
Highlights
Personality psychology has been striving in the past to develop measures that are unobtrusive, easy to administer, and yet provide valid assessments of traits
Effects were stronger when the B-algorithm was used for calculation of initial preference task (IPT)-scores and the IPT was administered only once, whilst all other moderators did not show significant influences
We show that there is no noteworthy association between IPT-based implicit and explicit self-esteem, which is broadly consistent with dual-process models of implicit and explicit evaluations on the one hand, and casts doubt on the suitability of the IPT for the assessment of implicit self-esteem on the other hand
Summary
Personality psychology has been striving in the past to develop measures that are unobtrusive (i.e., objective), easy to administer, and yet provide valid assessments of traits Such ideas can be traced back to at least the 1960s (e.g., [1]) and continue to receive increasing attention in the literature. The development of indirect measures for self-esteem received considerable attention, resulting in the adoption of a substantial number of alleged proxies for the measurement of implicit self-esteem This includes the preference for initials and name letters as opposed to non-name letters [2], general name liking [3], signature height (e.g., [4]), or procedurally more demanding reaction time-based measures, such as the implicit association test [5]. Moderator effects of sample- and study-related variables need investigation to determine the value of IPT-based assessments of self-esteem.
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