Can evaluative conditioning change implicit attitudes towards recycling?

We examined whether or not implicit attitudes towards recycling and recycling behavior can be changed through evaluative conditioning. In the experimental condition, pictures depicting recycling were paired with pleasant images, and pictures depicting consumerism were paired with unpleasant images. In the control condition, recycling and consumerism stimuli were randomly paired with pleasant and unpleasant images. Implicit attitudes were measured using the Implicit Association Test (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998). A virtual shopping task was used to assess recycling behavior. Participants in the experimental condition had more positive associations with recycling than did those in the control condition, but no behavioral differences were found between the two groups. These results suggest that evaluative conditioning procedures can produce changes in implicit attitudes towards recycling, but do not influence recycling behavior.