An introduction to the Mixed Trial Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (MT-IRAP)
We designed this program to hopefully provide a more flexible and sensitive tool for examining implicit relational responding. In particular, we are interested in developing/refining an implicit measure that is sensitive and reliable for measuring implicit relational responding at the level of individual stimuli and individual participants (as opposed to implicit effects at the level of stimulus categories and participant groups).
Preliminary data suggests the MT-IRAP can be used to measure implicit relational responding at both the stimulus category and individual stimulus level (Levin, Hayes & Waltz, 2010). It is unclear whether this measure is sensitive and reliable at the level of individual participants and whether it is more or less effective than the standard IRAP. Further research is needed to determine the reliability and validity of this measure, particularly with more ambiguous stimuli (e.g., where participants may be unsure of what is “truth” and what is a “lie”).
At this point, the exact configuration of the MT-IRAP is somewhat of a moving target and depends on the specific research questions being asked. Due to this, the program we have created provides a wide variety of configuration options. The flexibility in this program will hopefully be helpful to you as a researcher, though it may also require more time figuring out how to use it and the most appropriate configuration for a given study.
Please log in and download the MT-IRAP instructions (attached to the bottom of this page), this document contains a great deal more information about the procedures strengths and limitations.
Also, for further information about the MT-IRAP, we’d recommend you read the following article:
Levin, M.E., Hayes, S.C. & Waltz, T. (2010). Creating an implicit measure of cognition more suited to applied research: A test of the Mixed Trial – Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (MT-IRAP). International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 6, 245-262.
Disclaimer: This program is still being developed so you may run into errors while using it. Although we have tried to make it user friendly when possible, due to limited resources and the complexity of the program, it does require some time to get used to using.