Examining relationships among regional economic conditions, cognitive control, and intergroup bias in the implicit association test: A regional modeling approach
Journal
Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology
Series
100271
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2026-03-26
Author(s)
Abstract
Individuals experiencing economic stress demonstrate lower cognitive control and higher intergroup bias. The present research extends beyond individuals to investigate relationships among regional economic conditions, regional cognitive control, and intergroup bias. We aggregated 2.9 million US-based participants’ geolocated responses on the Black/White Implicit Association Test, then applied the Process Dissociation Procedure to estimate state-level cognitive control and racial evaluations across the years 2005 to 2019. Black populations’ cognitive control was weaker in states where Black residents faced more adverse economic conditions, but stronger in states where White residents faced more adverse economic conditions. White populations’ cognitive control was weaker in states where more Black residents faced unemployment. Black populations’ outgroup biases were more negative in states where more White residents lived in poverty, and White populations’ ingroup biases were more positive in states where more White residents were unemployed. By understanding how economic conditions relate to regional cognition, this research can inform policies to better support economically-vulnerable populations.
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
10
Official URL
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
ruben.laukenmann@unisg.ch