Abstract:
Previous research has demonstrated that stigmatization of people with disabilities (PWDs) has
negative consequences for their romantic opportunities. It has been well established that the
cognitive task of perspective-taking of another person has the capacity to alter perceptions of
various minority groups for the better. Acknowledging or mentioning a disability has also been
shown to have positive social consequences. The present study explored the possibility that
romantic or sexual attraction to someone with an observable physical disability could potentially
be enhanced through these two processes—perspective-taking and mentioning. A statistically
significant interaction emerged between prior interaction experience with people who have
disabilities, gender of the target, and perspective-taking. The nature of this interaction was such
that participants who did not have experience with people with disabilities and who engaged in
perspective-taking with a female target rated her more sexually/romantically desirable than
people who rated a male target, regardless of whether they took his perspective, had disability
experience, or both. However, because this effect was small and no other analyses revealed
significant effects of perspective-taking, caution is warranted when interpreting these results.
Perspective-Taking and Mentioning
Unexpectedly, mentioning one’s disability actually reduced romantic desirability for the target,
although this effect was also small. Limitations and suggestions to improve upon this
methodology in future research are discussed along with commentary on the use of perspective taking
manipulations more generally.
