Individual Differences in Implicit and Declared Self-Esteem as Predictors of Response to Negative Performance Evaluation: Validating Implicit Association Test as a Measure of Self-Attitudes

Abstract

Differential and combined influence of implicit and explicit self-esteem (SE) on individual's response to negative feedback was examined in a controlled experiment. Sixty-three psychology undergraduates performed a simulated social interaction task, followed by an artificial negative feedback on their performance. Self-reported (explicit) SE was found to be predictive of participants' evaluation of the confederate who conveyed the feedback but was unrelated to their emotional response to feedback itself. The magnitude of this emotional response was predicted by an implicit SE measure derived from Implicit Association Test (IAT) but was unrelated to explicit SE. Findings are consistent with the theorized link between SE and sensitivity to criticism, thus supporting IAT's construct validity as a measure of implicit SE.