I argue that in addressing worries about the validity and reliability of implicit measures of social cognition, theorists should draw on research concerning “entitativity perception.” In brief, an aggregate of people is perceived as highly “entitative” when its members exhibit a certain sort of unity. For example, think of the difference between the aggregate of people waiting in line at a bank versus a tight-knit group of friends: The latter seems more “groupy” than the former. I start by arguing that entitativity perception modulates the activation of implicit biases and stereotypes. I then argue that recognizing this modulatory role will help researchers to address concerns surrounding the validity and reliability of implicit measures.

中文翻译：

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社会认知的实体性和隐性测量

我认为，在解决对社会认知隐性测量的有效性和可靠性的担忧时，理论家应该借鉴有关“实体性感知”的研究。简而言之，当一群人表现出某种统一性时，人们就会被认为是高度“实体的”。例如，想一想在银行排队等候的人群与一群关系密切的朋友之间的区别：后者似乎比前者更“群体化”。我首先论证实体性感知调节内隐偏见和刻板印象的激活。然后我认为，认识到这种调节作用将有助于研究人员解决围绕隐性测量的有效性和可靠性的担忧。