Sexual willingness with same- and other-sex prospective partners: Experimental evidence from the bar scene

ABSTRACT

Sex is ubiquitous in the media, but only a fraction depicts sexual interactions between same-sex partners. This field study, conducted outside of bars in the Midwestern United States, examined 83 heterosexuals’ sexual willingness with a same- or other-sex partner. Participants viewed a randomly assigned video vignette of a same- or other-sex partner. Alcohol intake, partner attractiveness, and sexual willingness were measured. Using moderated regression analysis, we found that alcohol intake predicted sexual willingness with the male target for both men and women, but not with the female target. The attractiveness of same-sex partners was related to sexual willingness. Sexual willingness was only influenced by alcohol intake and perceived attractiveness of a same-sex prospective partner. Most notably, alcohol intake was related to increased sexual willingness of men with a same-sex partner, suggesting a potential shift in normative casual sexual behavior among heterosexual men.

KEYWORDS:

• Experimental design
• gender differences
• normative sexual behavior
• psychology and sexuality
• sexual orientation

Notes

1. In the interest of clarity, “participant sex” is subsequently used to refer to the self-reported biological sex of the participants. Similarly, “target sex” is used to refer to the experimentally manipulated sex of target in the video.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Breanne R. Helmers

Breanne R. Helmers is a social psychology doctoral student at Wayne State University and received her Master of Science degree from Western Illinois University. Her research focuses on understanding the link between alcohol consumption and sexual decision making. Colin R. Harbke is currently a Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University, with specialties in research methods and quantitative analysis. His research interests include a variety of subjects in psychology, education, substance use, public health, and medicine. Julie C. Herbstrith is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University. Her research examines the relations between attitudinal and behavioral measures of prejudice toward people who are LGBTQ+, particularly in specific settings such as school systems.

Colin R. Harbke

Breanne R. Helmers is a social psychology doctoral student at Wayne State University and received her Master of Science degree from Western Illinois University. Her research focuses on understanding the link between alcohol consumption and sexual decision making. Colin R. Harbke is currently a Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University, with specialties in research methods and quantitative analysis. His research interests include a variety of subjects in psychology, education, substance use, public health, and medicine. Julie C. Herbstrith is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University. Her research examines the relations between attitudinal and behavioral measures of prejudice toward people who are LGBTQ+, particularly in specific settings such as school systems.

Julie C. Herbstrith

Breanne R. Helmers is a social psychology doctoral student at Wayne State University and received her Master of Science degree from Western Illinois University. Her research focuses on understanding the link between alcohol consumption and sexual decision making. Colin R. Harbke is currently a Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University, with specialties in research methods and quantitative analysis. His research interests include a variety of subjects in psychology, education, substance use, public health, and medicine. Julie C. Herbstrith is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Western Illinois University. Her research examines the relations between attitudinal and behavioral measures of prejudice toward people who are LGBTQ+, particularly in specific settings such as school systems.