Can Active Voice Be Distinguished from Passive Voice in the Implicit Association Test?

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether the active voice could be distinguished from the passive voice in the Implicit Association Test (IAT). A total of 29 women took two antisocial single-category IATs (the verbs describing antisocial and prosocial behavior were presented in active voice as stimulus words in one condition and in the passive voice in another). They also answered the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. The results revealed that the antisocial single-category IAT presented in the active voice exhibited a positive correlation with anger and hostility, whereas when the same words were presented in the passive voice, no significant correlation was shown with any type of aggression. These results suggest that the active voice and the passive voice are processed differently in the IAT.