Perceptions of sexual orientation : A hierarchically restrictive trait

Categorizing a person according to group membership (sexual orientation) attaches group stereotypes and behavioral expectations to that individual. For Study 1, students from New Mexico, United States (N=127) were asked to indicate the number of inconsistent behaviors it would take to change expectations about a categorized person. Study 1 revealed that sexual orientation is a hierarchically restrictive trait: for heterosexual targets, only a few inconsistent behaviors changed expectations, and for homosexual targets, many inconsistent behaviors did not change expectations. For Study 2, survey research (N=163) and path analyses revealed different patterns between male and female respondents for relationships between religiosity, attitudes toward homosexuals, attitudes toward sexuality, and the degree of hierarchical restrictiveness of sexual orientation. Adapted from the source document.