Aversive prejudice and discrimination against gay men

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Authors
Ong, Katherine S.
Advisor
Whitley, Bernard E., Jr., 1946-
Issue Date
2008
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Psychological Science
Other Identifiers
Abstract

To test the generalizability of the theory of aversive prejudice in predicting discrimination against gay men, a partial replication of Dovidio and Gaertner's (2000) experiment was conducted. Two hundred and five White undergraduate students from a Midwestern university evaluated an ostensible applicant for a counseling position. The current study was a 2 (Applicant Sexual Orientation: gay, straight) x 2 (Applicant Race: Black, White) x 2 (Applicant Qualification: high, moderate) x 2 (Participant Gender) between-groups experiment. Men provided straight applicants with significantly higher qualification ratings than gay applicants. Gay applicants were perceived as less competent on leadership than straight applicants. A gay Black applicant was least likely to be recommended for the position only when he was ambiguously (moderately) qualified, compared to straight White, straight Black, and gay White applicants. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

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