Do paper-and-pencil tests give an accurate measure of stereotype strength? A review of available data

A review of available data demonstrates that the commonly-used pencil-and-paper tests for determining stereotype strengths are inadequate under most circumstances and usually do not give the true measure of stereotype strength that would be obtained with tests of real hardware. In order to obtain a correct measure of stereotype strength, it appears necessary to use simulations very close to the real hardware. Relevance to Industry: Controls and related displays are part of many machines. By proper design, in which population stereotypes are used for the relationship between controls and displays, it can be expected that control errors and reaction times will be decreased. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to know these stereotypes. Many of these stereotypes have been established with paper-and-pencil tests, but little has been written on their validity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.