Hence the issue of the homophobia-as-repression hypothesis is actually highlighted: if perhaps couple of homophobes is meaningful homosexual, subsequently homosexuality are unable to explain a lot; if lots of homophobes are homosexual, subsequently homophobia should be useless at persuading other people a person is straight.
As a result, it must come as little shock that some recent study discovers no research with this homophobia-as-repressed-homosexuality hypothesis. MacInnis & Hodson (2013) needed to examine whether any back link is present between a measure of implicit sexual appeal and direct homophobia in heterosexuals. In order to do this, the writers utilized an implicit organization task (IAT) modified to intimate attraction: an activity whereby individuals need to categorize photographs as male/female and words as intimately attractive/unattractive, plus the speeds at which they do thus should reveal something concerning intellectual association amongst the two. I’m cautious with the perceptions of IATs for several grounds, but We’ll presume for the time being that this type of a test do undoubtedly sorts of assess whatever they hope. Individuals happened to be in addition asked about their own specific intimate sites to both women and men, and their attitudes towards gay/lesbian and heterosexual populations. Overall, their particular trial symbolized 237 Canadian undergraduates (85 people).
As I would expect, the IAT outcome just correlated modestly with direct strategies of sexual destination (roentgen = .37 for men, roentgen = .15 for ladies). The correlations between those IAT strategies and unfavorable, direct evaluations of homosexuals for males ended up being r = -.06, and for female, r = -.24. Quite simply, not just comprise such correlations very little, nonetheless they nominally gone inside opposing direction of the repression account: as someone confirmed most implicit destination towards exact same sex, they also confirmed reduced specific negativity. On a comparable note, men’s specific destinations to your same gender adversely correlated employing homophobia at the same time (roentgen = -.31), and thus as males reported more mindful appeal to many other guys, they certainly were also most positive towards homosexuals. Men and women are far more positive towards those who look like them—for good reason—so this is simply not terribly shocking.
The experts attempted extra analyses and to address more interpretations in the repression-to-attraction membership.
Initial, they divided the information such that individuals who revealed good homosexual implicit appeal had been when compared with those that on the adverse area. A man trial, its well worth observing, cannot become examined here as merely 4 of 85 males got these types of a rating (maybe there is just not a lot implicit attraction going swimming?); for ladies, equivalent choosing as before emerged: those showing a lot more implicit attraction were less unfavorable towards homosexuals. Next, the writers made an effort to study solely those inside the upper-half of homophobia score, right after which those in the greater severe ends. However, the implicit interest ratings failed to vary between those high and lower in prejudice for men or girls. The repression theory was not actually supported whenever the writers tried to separate those players whose direct and implicit destination score comprise maximally distinctive from one another (the authors framework this as players overstating their particular heterosexuality on an explicit level, but we suspect the explanation is the fact that IAT isn’t really as well big of a tool).
While using the splitting of the test, MacInnis & Hodson (2013) provided their unique data every feasible benefit to get a hold of something—even some spurious STD Sites dating site relationship—but in essence nothing emerged. They broke the data down by women and men; attitudes towards gays, lesbians, and homosexuals overall; those highest or reduced in bias; those whose implicit and direct tourist attractions diverged. No matter what it actually was cut, support had not been located when it comes to repression concept. Whenever relationships performed exist between implicit interest and direct thinking, they often went in face-to-face path of the repression theory: those who showed implicit destination had been reduced adverse in direction of homosexuals (albeit rather modestly). I don’t think this will stop those who fancy the repression theory to abandon it—likely since they treasure it for reasons beyond the founded truth value, basically presently dubious at best—but it really is a potential place to begin for this journey.
MacInnis, C. & Hodson, G. (2013). Is actually homophobia of an implicit same-sex destination? Record of Intercourse Studies, 50, 777-785.