Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are...

Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity

Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity

The similarity hypothesis suggests that individuals are more likely to form relationships with others who share similar attitudes, beliefs, values, and interests. This concept has been widely studied in social psychology, demonstrating that perceived similarity fosters interpersonal attraction. In an experiment supporting this hypothesis, participants were presented with fabricated information indicating that strangers held attitudes similar to their own. The results showed that participants...

Attitudes

Attitudes

Attitude is our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object. We have attitudes for many things ranging from products that we might pick up in the supermarket to people around the world to political policies. Typically, attitudes are favorable or unfavorable: positive or negative (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). And, they have three components: an affective component (feelings), a behavioral component (the effect of the attitude on behavior), and a cognitive component (belief and knowledge;...

Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction

Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction

Physical attractiveness plays a crucial role in shaping interpersonal attraction, influencing first impressions, social interactions, and long-term relationship dynamics. Psychological research consistently demonstrates that attractiveness affects social evaluations and behavioral outcomes in various contexts.Influence on Social InteractionsResearch has shown that individuals perceived as physically attractive often experience preferential treatment in social and professional settings. One...

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit personality theory explains how individuals make assumptions about the relationships between personality traits, behaviors, and character types. When people learn that someone possesses a particular trait, they tend to infer the presence of other related characteristics, forming a cohesive impression. This cognitive shortcut plays a crucial role in social interactions and interpersonal judgments.Central Traits and Their InfluenceSolomon Asch's seminal 1946 study highlighted the power...

Understanding Interpersonal Attraction

Understanding Interpersonal Attraction

Interpersonal attraction is a fundamental psychological phenomenon influencing human relationships across various contexts. It refers to one person's positive feelings or interests toward another, serving as the foundation for friendships, romantic partnerships, familial bonds, and professional relationships. The nature of interpersonal attraction extends beyond romantic connections, shaping interactions in both short-term and long-term social engagements.Psychological Foundations of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Contact ruptures: How ecological shifts reshape intergroup contact and outgroup attitudes.

The American psychologist·2025

Same author

Validation of a short patient-reported compassion measure: the Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire-Short Form (SCQ-SF).

BMJ open quality·2025

Same author

Primary and secondary generalization effects from Black and gay contact: Longitudinal evidence of between- and within-person effects.

The British journal of social psychology·2025

Same author

Robert (Bob) Anthony Altemeyer (1940-2024).

The American psychologist·2024

Same author

Adaptation and validation of a patient-reported compassion measure in the Spanish population: The Spanish version of the Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire (SCQesp).

Research in nursing & health·2024

Same author

Attitudes Toward Cisgender Women's Participation in Sex Work: Opportunity for Agency or Harmful Exchange?

Archives of sexual behavior·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Published on: February 29, 2020

Is homophobia associated with an implicit same-sex attraction?

Cara C Macinnis¹, Gordon Hodson

¹a Department of Psychology , Brock University.

Journal of Sex Research

|September 20, 2012

Summary

This study found no evidence that homophobia results from hidden same-sex attraction. Instead, implicit same-sex attraction correlated with positive views of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly among women.

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Attitude Research

Background:

Some theories suggest homophobia may arise from repressed same-sex attraction.
Previous research yielded mixed results due to limitations in measuring implicit sexual attraction.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the attraction-based account of homophobia using implicit sexual attraction measures in men and women.
To explore the relationship between implicit and explicit same-sex attraction and evaluations of homosexual individuals.

Main Methods:

Utilized an implicit measure of sexual attraction to assess participants.
Examined correlations between implicit/explicit same-sex attraction and attitudes towards gay men and lesbians.
Conducted targeted analyses on subgroups theoretically predisposed to attraction-based homophobia.

More Related Videos

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 13, 2014

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Published on: February 29, 2020

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 13, 2014

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

Main Results:

No evidence supported the attraction-based theory of homophobia.
Implicit same-sex attraction was linked to more positive evaluations of gay individuals among women.
Explicit same-sex attraction correlated with positive evaluations of gay individuals among men.

Conclusions:

The findings do not support the hypothesis that homophobia stems from underlying same-sex attraction.
Results align with the attitude-similarity effect, where individuals tend to favor those perceived as similar.
Attitudes towards homosexual individuals appear influenced by factors beyond repressed same-sex attraction.