Implicit Reaction Time Testing (IRT)
April 8, 2023
Implicit Reaction Time Testing (IRT
An implicit test is a research method used to uncover subconscious motivations, attitudes, emotions, and social biases. Various forms of implicit tests are employed in academic research, often referred to as implicit response tests, implicit reaction time tests, or implicit association tests (IATs).
In market research, these tests help reveal underlying consumer perceptions of brands, products, or services. The insights gained provide a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour and the factors influencing purchasing decisions within a specific market.
What Is Implicit Reaction Time Testing (IRT)?
The IAT is one of the fastest-growing approaches used in market research as it is objective, cost-effective, and is able to capture consumers’ unconscious responses to different stimuli, meaning marketers are able to tap into their gut responses.
It is essential to measure unconscious gut responses, as a large portion of our everyday decision-making and behaviour is driven by these processes, and they are often inaccessible to conscious questioning methods.
How does it work?
Implicit reaction time testing taps into System1 processing, which is the fast, unconscious and automatic information processing in the brain. It measures the strength of associations between concepts (e.g. a brand or product) and certain evaluations (e.g. good, ethical, immoral) by measuring the amount of time it takes to associate it with those words (the longer it takes, the less associated they are).
Once a stimulus occurs (at time zero), the brain processes it, and a physical response is necessary (button press); this can take anywhere between 200-600 ms, depending on how unconscious (and difficult) the processing is. This can inform researchers about how a product or brand is unconsciously perceived.
Can it inform us about emotions?
Yes, it can tell us how strongly a brand or product is associated with a positive or negative evaluation, informing us about how consumers emotionally respond to the brand or product.
Can IRT be done online?
Yes, similar to IATs, the beauty of IRT testing is that it can be carried out quickly and easily on anyone who has internet access.
Latest News
Keep up to date with the latest news from Vision One.