Colloquium:
   On feeling torn about one’s sexuality: The effects of explicit-implicit sexual orientation ambivalence.
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Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:00 -  The University of Western Australia, Myer Street Lecture Theatre, room 2.06
		
Ben Windsor-Shellard and Geoffrey Haddock
Three correlational studies investigated implications associated with
explicit-implicit sexual orientation ambivalence for information
processing and psychological well-being in samples of straight and gay
individuals.

Across the studies, 243 straight participants completed explicit and
implicit measures of sexual orientation; in one of these studies, 48 gay
participants completed the same measures. Within individual studies,
participants also completed measures of self-esteem.

When considering the effects of ambivalence between self-reported and
indirectly measured sexual orientation (SO), among straight participants
explicit-implicit SO ambivalence was positively associated with time
spent deliberating questions on sexual preferences; an effect moderated
by the direction of ambivalence. In an attempt to explain this effect,
in our third study, straight participants read ambivalence-relevant
arguments that were either strong or weak in quality. In line with the
effect found previously, the amount of explicit-implicit SO ambivalence
positively related to post-message cognitive responses after reading
strong but not weak arguments. This effect was also found to be
moderated by the direction of ambivalence.

For gay participants, individual differences in explicit-implicit SO
ambivalence tended to influence time deliberating sexuality. In
addition, explicit-implicit ambivalence in sexual orientation attitudes
among gay individuals, but not straight individuals, was related to
self-esteem in addition to defensive self-esteem.

Our findings demonstrate the information processing consequences of
explicit-implicit ambivalence in both straight and gay individuals when
considering an attitude object that has considerable personal relevance.
Furthermore, our results highlight that explicit-implicit ambivalence in
sexual orientation attitudes may be an important antecedence of
psychological well-being in gay-individuals.
		
For more information:
  David Badcock
  david.badcock@uwa.edu.au

Starts       : Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:00
Ends         : Tue, 21 Jan 2014 14:00
		
Last Updated : Tue, 10 Feb 2015 15:10