Understanding the individual implicitly and explicitly

Abstract

The possibility that behaviour is shaped by cognitions outside of conscious awareness or control is a long‐standing feature of psychological theory. Empirical support for this theoretical stance is accelerating with the advent of methodological innovations for assessing implicit cognition. The articles in this Special Section provide evidence for the construct and predictive validity of implicit measures, especially the Implicit Association Test, and illustrate the value of implicit constructs for personality theory. This commentary briefly discusses each article, and notes that discrepancies between implicit and explicit responses can take multiple forms, each with distinct implications for understanding the individual.