Scott Alexander reviews a study using Implicit Association Tests to measure suicidal intent, expressing both excitement for the research direction and skepticism about its methodology and practical applications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses a 2007 study by Nock & Banaji that uses Implicit Association Tests (IATs) to measure suicidal intent in psychiatric patients. The study matches categories of self/other with images of self-harm/non-self-harm, claiming to distinguish between healthy controls, those with past suicidal ideation, and past suicide attempters. While Scott is excited about research in this area, he expresses skepticism about the study's methodology, particularly its use of self-harm images instead of actual suicide imagery. He also questions the study's ability to predict future suicide attempts and its potential usefulness in real-world scenarios. Despite his reservations, Scott sees this as a positive step towards using IATs for practical applications beyond social justice projects. Shorter summary