The moderating effect of prior attitudes on intergroup face‐to‐face contact

Abstract

The present study examined cooperative contact as an antecedent to reducing negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians, as measured by Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale—Short Form (ATLG). In a scripted role‐play, participants were paired with a confederate who declared their character's sexual orientation as either heterosexual or homosexual. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that contact with homosexual individuals affected participants' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians over and above the participants' prior ATLG scores. A moderating effect for prior ATLG scores was also found. The effect of confederate's sexual orientation was stronger for participants with more negative ATLG scores compared to those with more favorable attitudes. Implications for decreasing homophobia in organizations are discussed.

Kenyan Religious Leaders’ Views on Same-Sex Sexuality and Gender Nonconformity: Religious Freedom versus Constitutional Rights

“…It could be that religion trumps the effects of age and gender; given the limited variance, it is also possible that our measures were not sensitive enough to capture differences related to age and gender. As in other studies (e.g., Collier, Bos, & Sandfort, 2012; Graham, Frame, & Kenworthy, 2014; Patrick et al, 2013; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006), we confirmed the importance of interpersonal contact: religious leaders who knew gay and lesbian persons or who had heard about transgender persons generally had less negative attitudes.…”

“…To deepen our understanding of religious leaders’ perspectives, we explored whether differences in opinions are related to age and sex; these factors have often been associated with perspectives on same-sex sexuality, with women and younger persons usually being more accepting of same-sex sexuality and gender nonconformity, compared to men and older persons (Andersen & Fetner, 2008; Guittar & Pals, 2014; Hicks & Lee, 2006; Kite & Whitley, 1996; Petersen & Hyde, 2011; West & Cowell, 2015), Finally, we explored whether there were differences between religious leaders perspectives based on the familiarity with same-sex sexuality and gender nonconformity. People who knew gay and lesbian persons have generally been found to have less negative attitudes towards same-sex sexuality (e.g., Collier, Bos, & Sandfort, 2012; Graham, Frame, & Kenworthy, 2014; Patrick et al, 2013; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). …”

A study of intergroup contact theory : using storytelling to increase awareness of lesbian and gay older adults in long-term care settings

“…Results of a study with 122 undergraduate university students support these findings. This experimental study found positive effects of IGC with strangers with only one hour of contact and subtle disclosure of sexual orientation is introduced (Graham, Frame, & Kenworthy, 2014). Demographic, social and cultural influences can also impact individuals' beliefs related to sexual minorities.…”

Fostering Harmony and Dealing with Difference in Education: A Critical Review of Perspectives on Intergroup Relations

“…Subsequently, researchers have proposed a fifth 'condition' of contact: that the encounter should provide opportunities for participants to become acquainted -what Pettigrew (1998) (Pettigrew and Tropp, 2006), research has increasingly focused on the process by which contact reduces prejudice. This has identified key mediators of contact, including anxiety and empathy (Pettigrew and Tropp 2008), and numerous moderators, such as prior outgroup attitudes, identity strength and relative group status (Graham, Frame and Kenworthy 2014;Tausch et al 2007). Research also suggests that the salience of separate identities and the perceived typicality of outgroup members during the encounter can help ensure that changes in attitude generalise to the outgroup as a whole (Brown et al 2007).…”