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FORGOTTEN BUT NOT FORGIVEN: THE RETENTION OF IMPLICIT NEGATIVE BIAS DESPITE EXPLICIT FORGETTING

Author
Johnson, Christine Bell
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that implicit attitudes are much harder to reverse with updated information than are explicit attitudes. Yet, very little research has been conducted on a phenomenon we are calling “forgotten but not forgiven.” That is, if we accuse someone of wrongdoing, then subsequently exonerate them by discrediting the information presented, will people who have been exposed to negative information about the character hold onto a negative implicit bias against the target even when they fail to recognize the person as the target on a conscious, explicit level? Our participant pool was comprised of 170 Cornell University students, who were shown information, told it was untrue, and took an Implicit Association Test. The main analysis was a t-test of participants’ D-score, which was not statistically significant. Remembrance rates of the target remained low, however, and we suggest continued research on this topic because of certain limitations we faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Description
32 pages
Date Issued
2021-08Committee Chair
Ceci, Stephen John
Committee Member
Williams, Wendy M.
Degree Discipline
Human Development
Degree Name
M.A., Human Development
Degree Level
Master of Arts
Type
dissertation or thesis