9
as possible whether each word is self-descriptive or not. The instructions read: “Ask
yourself this question: ‘Does this trait describe ME as an individual?’” followed by a trait
word, e.g., “CONSIDERATE” (see figure 2). The participant then presses a button
labeled as “Yes” or “No” as quickly as possible to record the response. What renders the
timed trait rating measure implicit is the fact that the reaction time task only refers to the
self. No reference is made to groups. The psychological phenomenon that makes this
procedure viable as a measure of implicit closeness is the curious fact that distinct
facilitation and inhibition patterns occur for close others (whether individuals or groups).
If the self shares a trait with close others or a close group, the trait is significantly faster
identified as descriptive of the self (facilitation), while if the self differs from close others
or from a close group on a trait, the trait is significantly slower identified as descriptive of
the self (inhibition). The reverse occurs for distant others or distant groups with no
facilitation and inhibition effects representing a natural and neutral midpoint.
To compute implicit closeness scores towards each group (see center and bottom panels
in table 3), reaction times (t) for all traits that are matching for the self and the respective
group are averaged (
M
t
) and subtracted from the average reaction times for all traits that
are mismatching between the self and the group (
M
t
). If the individual feels neutral
towards the group (neither close nor distant) there should be no observable reaction time
difference between matching and mismatching traits and the implicit closeness score
should be close to zero. If the individual feels close to the group, matching traits should
be recognized as self-descriptive significantly faster than mismatching traits and the
implicit closeness score should be positive (long reaction time average for mismatching
traits minus short reaction time average for matching ones). If, on the other hand, the
individual should feel distant to the group, the reverse reaction time pattern should occur
and the implicit closeness score should be negative. In order to reduce the inevitable
skewness of reaction time measures, response times shorter than 300ms or longer than
2000ms are excluded from this computation (Coats et al. 2000, pp. 308-309).
Table 2: Ninety Trait Adjectives for Aron’s et al. (1991) Timed Self Trait-Rating Task
DOMINEERING
UNPREDICTABLE
AMBITIOUS
SUSPICIOUS
MATERIALISTIC
SHREWD
ANTISOCIAL
CORDIAL
TOLERANT
MATURE
SYMPATHETIC
NEAT
TIMID
SUBMISSIVE
PERSUASIVE
CHEERFUL
SHOWY
FORWARD
NAIVE
IRRITABLE
COWARDLY
CHOOSY
INDEPENDENT
SELF-RIGHTEOUS
APPRECIATIVE
SYSTEMATIC
LAZY
DECEPTIVE
WORRIER
SHY
TACTFUL
PROMPT
AGGRESSIVE
SOPHISTICATED
JEALOUS
GOOD-TEMPERED
IRRATIONAL
ILL-MANNERED
TENDER
FOOLISH
ARGUMENTATIVE
WEAK
RESPONSIBLE
AMUSING
ATTENTIVE
TACTLESS
WORDY
SUPERFICIAL
COLD
SPITEFUL
VAIN
SELF-RELIANT
FOOLHARDY
OBJECTIVE
ENVIOUS
FRANK
UNRELIABLE
METHODICAL
TRUSTING
SENSIBLE
EMOTIONAL
BLUNT
UNFAIR
VERSATILE
HOT-HEADED
NOSEY
ACTIVE
RESTLESS
CONGENIAL
SKEPTICAL
CONSIDERATE
GENEROUS
OBSERVANT
SPENDTHRIFT
OPPORTUNIST
SERIOUS
PROUD
SELF-CENTERED
DULL
ALERT
SCORNFUL
CRUDE
CREATIVE
INVENTIVE
PRODUCTIVE
NONCHALANT
PERSISTENT
PREJUDICED
BOASTFUL
SARCASTIC
Trait adjectives selected from N. H. Anderson’s (1968) norms by Aron et al. 1991
Convention