Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study investigated the intensity of homophobia related to its ability to be changed. Homophobia was assessed using the Modified Index of Homophobia (IHP-M). The effects of a videotape containingEducational and emotionally persuasive material on homophobia was investigated. The relationships between individuals' degree of homophobia, their attitudes' susceptibility to change, and some selected demographic variables were also assessed. The sample consisted of 128 undergraduate students enrolled at a medium sized, state supported, midwestern university. This study employed a Solomon four-group experimental design to compare attitude change between participants viewing the treatment videotape and those viewing an alternative videotape. Testing effects as a result of the IHP-M being administered at pretest and posttest were also examined. Participants completed the IHP-M eight weeks later to assess any further changes in homophobia. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed no differences between pretest, posttest, and follow-up scores of participants in the treatment and alternative treatment groups regardless of the attitudes' intensity at pretest. Two-tailed t tests determined no testing effects were demonstrated. Pearson r correlations revealed significant relationships between homophobia and gender, hometown population, religious position, and number of gay people known to the participant. Pearson r correlations also revealed a significant relationship between change in homophobia and the number of gay people known to participants in the alternative treatment group. Results indicated no change in homophobia regardless of its intensity. However, men were found to be more homophobic than women, people from smaller hometowns were found to be more homophobic than those from larger ones, religiously conservative people were found to be more homophobic than less religiously conservative people, and the number of gay people known was related to lower levels of homophobia. Implications of these results and recommendations for further research were noted.

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