Use of the Implicit Association Test for the Measurement of Tinnitus-Related Distress

Abstract

Purpose A priming stimulus activates and increases an association with the target stimulus. The goal of this research was to investigate whether current tinnitus measures are susceptible to increased error due to priming and, if so, to examine the feasibility of using the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) for an alternative measurement of tinnitus-related distress. Method Participants completed 2 tinnitus-related questionnaires and the IAT online. Results Although participants with tinnitus did not view sound-related words as significantly more negative and IAT scores did not predict scores on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (Newman, Jacobson, & Spitzer, 1996), priming did affect negative implicit attitudes toward sound-related words. Conclusions On the basis of these results, it is suggested that current tinnitus measures may be susceptible to priming error and that future studies should continue to pursue how the IAT can be utilized in the measure of tinnitus-related distress. Moreover, researchers should develop overt-behavioral measurements that can assess the validity of a tinnitus IAT.