You are likely already aware that the IAT has potential to reveal troubling aspects about a person's associations. It therefore poses significant possibilities for misuse. If you are considering use of the IAT in research, this source of concern will be taken into account in developing your research plans, in accordance with safeguards present in the institutional setting of your research.
Although the IAT was developed for research use, it has clear potential for application outside the research laboratory. The following are some of the possible misuses that might arise when applying the IAT outside the laboratory (and therefore operating beyond the scope of safeguards present at research institutions). First, people may use the IAT to make decisions about themselves: what diagnosis do I have, etc. Second, people may use it to make decisions about others: for example, using it to determine who should be hired in a clinical role or have decision-making rights in clinically sensitive situations. Project Implicit Health, along with the investigators who have been involved in developing the IAT, urges you to avoid these possible misuses of the IAT.
