Simple exposure to alcohol cues causally increases negative implicit attitudes toward lesbians and gay men

ABSTRACT

Previous research has shown that acute alcohol consumption is associated with negative responses toward outgroup members such as sexual minorities. However, simple alcohol cue exposure without actually consuming alcohol also influences social behavior. Hence, it was reasoned that priming participants with words related to alcohol (relative to neutral words) would promote prejudiced attitudes toward sexual minorities. In fact, an experiment showed that alcohol cue exposure causally led to more negative implicit attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In contrast, participants’ explicit attitudes were relatively unaffected by the priming manipulation. Moreover, participants’ typical alcohol use was not related to their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In sum, it appears that not only acute alcohol consumption but also the simple exposure of alcohol cues may promote negative views toward lesbians and gay men.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• explicit attitudes
• implicit attitudes
• prejudice
• sexual orientation

Notes

l. The full analyses including the main effect of participant sex are available from the first author upon request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tobias Greitemeyer

Tobias Greitemeyer is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Innsbruck. Carina Nierula is a student at the University of Innsbruck. The present research was part of her bachelor thesis, conducted under the guidance of Tobias Greitemeyer at the University of Innsbruck.

Carina Nierula

Tobias Greitemeyer is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Innsbruck. Carina Nierula is a student at the University of Innsbruck. The present research was part of her bachelor thesis, conducted under the guidance of Tobias Greitemeyer at the University of Innsbruck.