Conceptualizing and measuring the implicit personality: The state of the science

Abstract In this chapter, we discuss the state of the science regarding the measurement of implicit personality (i.e., the elements of personality that are not accessible via conscious introspection). Optimal measurement of implicit personality necessitates a strong underlying psychological theory combined with indirect measurement that is resilient to dishonest responding; with such a foundation, researchers may evaluate the psychometric properties of their measures, including the independent predictive validity that indirect measures of implicit personality have over above direct measures of explicit personality. We review three prototypic classes of indirect measurement that lend themselves to assessing aspects of implicit personality: projective measures, response latency measures, and conditional reasoning measures. We discuss the history and theory behind each of these classes of measurement systems and introduce specific modalities of indirect assessment as exemplar cases. We conclude by summarizing the needs of future research and advances in the indirect measurement of implicit motives.