Since their introduction in the 1980s, interest in implicit measures has increased
rapidly. For example, in 1985 fewer than 10 publications that mentioned
implicit/automatic attitudes were published, by 2004 this figure rocketed to over 100 publications with the same terms (Psych Info). This flurry of research has launched several implicit measurement techniques, each with its advantages as well as disadvantages. The studies presented in this thesis utilize a modified version of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (De Houwer, 2003). These modifications are discussed in relation to a change in processing, away from the stimulus type and towards a task indicator; a change that may result in a task that is better able to measure implicit responses to stimuli.
Each of the chapters presented will initially describe a methodological change before testing its success both theoretically and in an applied sense. Results are discussed in terms of how successful these methodological changes are, and how useful this modified version is in helping researchers understand the processing and consequences of implicit attitudes.