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DissertationDefense_Alto_APPROVED.pdf (790.75 KB)

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The Relationship between Sexism and Sexual Prejudice: An Experimental Priming Study

Alto, Kathleen
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1550093966331601

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Counseling Psychology.
There is considerable evidence that negative attitudes towards women and gay men are strongly related and contribute to the oppression of both marginalized groups. Feminist theory, gender studies, and social dominance theory concur that patriarchy and rigid gender roles encourage heterosexual men to endorse both sexual prejudice and sexist attitudes. To date, the majority of research has utilized self-report measures to examine the relationship between sexual prejudice and sexism. The current project used experimental priming methodology to deepen counseling psychology’s understanding of shared meaning between prejudice towards women and prejudice towards gay men. Schema theory posits that knowledge is stored in semantic networks that are connected through shared associations. Therefore, exposure to a stimulus (i.e., a prime) activates related schemas and may impact responses to subsequent stimuli (i.e., a target). In the current study, participants were randomly assigned to two conditions. In the experimental condition, participants were primed with a sexist vignette. In the control condition, participants read a neutral vignette. After exposure to the stimuli, participants completed an Implicit Attitude Test, which uses response times on a sorting task to assess implicit preference for stimuli associated with heterosexuality or stimuli associated with gay men. An ANCOVA revealed that heterosexual men who read the sexist vignette exhibited significantly more implicit bias towards gay men than the control group. The results of this study have implications for prejudice reduction interventions.
Ronald Levant, PhD (Committee Chair)
Ingrid Weigold, PhD (Advisor)
Margo Gregor, PhD (Committee Member)
Dawn Johnson, PhD (Committee Member)
Robert Peralta, PhD (Committee Member)
141 p.
Experiments; Gender; Psychology
implicit bias; sexism; sexual prejudice; homophobia; priming

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Alto, K. (2019). The Relationship between Sexism and Sexual Prejudice: An Experimental Priming Study [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1550093966331601

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Alto, Kathleen. The Relationship between Sexism and Sexual Prejudice: An Experimental Priming Study. 2019. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1550093966331601.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Alto, Kathleen. "The Relationship between Sexism and Sexual Prejudice: An Experimental Priming Study." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1550093966331601

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1550093966331601
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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.