TY - JOUR
T1 - Reducing heterosexuals' prejudice toward gay men and lesbian women via an induced cross-orientation friendship
AU - Lytle, Ashley
AU - Levy, Sheri R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - There is limited correlational research on whether cross-orientation friendships reduce heterosexuals' sexual prejudice, and no existing experimental studies on the impact of simulated cross-orientation friendships on attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. The current study involved a novel and experimental examination of whether simulated cross-orientation friendships would reduce sexual prejudice. College student participants (White heterosexual) completed an experimental-manipulated closeness exercise (the fast friends procedure; Aron, Melinat, Aron, Vallone, & Bator, 1997) with a confederate (matched to participants' gender). Participants were randomly assigned to undergo the fast friends procedure with a confederate who either did not reveal his or her sexual orientation (control condition) or revealed being gay or lesbian at the beginning (reveal-beginning condition) or end of the interaction (reveal-end condition). As predicted, participants in both experimental conditions relative to those in a control condition reported significantly improved attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women (pre- to postexperiment), greater feelings of interpersonal closeness, and more positive behavior (longer and friendlier responses following disclosure of sexual orientation). The experimental conditions did not differ from each other. Implications of these findings are discussed.
AB - There is limited correlational research on whether cross-orientation friendships reduce heterosexuals' sexual prejudice, and no existing experimental studies on the impact of simulated cross-orientation friendships on attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. The current study involved a novel and experimental examination of whether simulated cross-orientation friendships would reduce sexual prejudice. College student participants (White heterosexual) completed an experimental-manipulated closeness exercise (the fast friends procedure; Aron, Melinat, Aron, Vallone, & Bator, 1997) with a confederate (matched to participants' gender). Participants were randomly assigned to undergo the fast friends procedure with a confederate who either did not reveal his or her sexual orientation (control condition) or revealed being gay or lesbian at the beginning (reveal-beginning condition) or end of the interaction (reveal-end condition). As predicted, participants in both experimental conditions relative to those in a control condition reported significantly improved attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women (pre- to postexperiment), greater feelings of interpersonal closeness, and more positive behavior (longer and friendlier responses following disclosure of sexual orientation). The experimental conditions did not differ from each other. Implications of these findings are discussed.
KW - Contact
KW - Cross-orientation friendships
KW - Disclosure
KW - Sexual orientation
KW - Sexual prejudice
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U2 - 10.1037/sgd0000135
DO - 10.1037/sgd0000135
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85029649962
SN - 2329-0382
VL - 2
SP - 447
EP - 455
JO - Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
JF - Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
IS - 4
ER -