Residential College | false |
Status | 已發表Published |
Effects of Biological Determinism on Beliefs and Attitudes About Transgender People: Psychological Essentialism and Biased Assimilation | |
Ching, Boby Ho Hong; Chen, Tiffany Ting | |
2022-12-07 | |
Source Publication | Archives of Sexual Behavior |
ISSN | 0004-0002 |
Volume | 51Issue:4Pages:1927–1942 |
Abstract | This experimental study examined the effects of biological attributions on individuals’ beliefs and attitudes toward transgender people and the moderating role of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). We randomly assigned 183 Chinese university students (men: n = 85, women: n = 98) to read one of three fictitious articles. The first article suggested that transgender identity was causally linked to biology (biological determinist condition), the second one highlighted the interplay between biological and environmental factors (epigenetic condition), whereas the third article did not mention the origins of transgender identity (control condition). Consistent with the biased assimilation hypothesis, the effects of biological attributions depended on individual differences in RWA. Low-RWA participants showed higher levels of naturalness and discreteness/homogeneity beliefs about transgender identity in the biological determinist condition than those in the control condition. By contrast, high-RWA participants displayed higher levels of discreteness/homogeneity beliefs but similar levels of naturalness beliefs when they read the biological determinist message compared with the control group. Low-RWA participants showed higher levels of naturalness but similar levels of discreteness/homogeneity beliefs in the epigenetic condition compared with the control, whereas high-RWA participants exhibited lower levels of naturalness and higher levels of discreteness/homogeneity beliefs when they read the epigenetic message compared with the control group. This study also suggests that, contrary to attribution theory, presenting information regarding the biological basis of transgender identity does not necessarily lead to more positive attitudes because (a) it triggers essentialist thinking and (b) the effects of biological attributions depend on recipients’ authoritarian dispositions. |
Keyword | Authoritarianism Biased Assimilation Essentialism Prejudice Transgender |
DOI | 10.1007/s10508-021-02262-8 |
URL | View the original |
Indexed By | SSCI |
Language | 英語English |
WOS Research Area | Psychology ; Social Sciences - Other Topics |
WOS Subject | Psychology, Clinical ; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary |
WOS ID | WOS:000785576200001 |
Scopus ID | 2-s2.0-85128781372 |
Fulltext Access | |
Citation statistics | |
Document Type | Journal article |
Collection | Faculty of Education |
Corresponding Author | Ching, Boby Ho Hong |
Affiliation | Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Taipa, Avenida da Universidade, 999078, Macao |
First Author Affilication | Faculty of Education |
Corresponding Author Affilication | Faculty of Education |
Recommended Citation GB/T 7714 | Ching, Boby Ho Hong,Chen, Tiffany Ting. Effects of Biological Determinism on Beliefs and Attitudes About Transgender People: Psychological Essentialism and Biased Assimilation[J]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2022, 51(4), 1927–1942. |
APA | Ching, Boby Ho Hong., & Chen, Tiffany Ting (2022). Effects of Biological Determinism on Beliefs and Attitudes About Transgender People: Psychological Essentialism and Biased Assimilation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(4), 1927–1942. |
MLA | Ching, Boby Ho Hong,et al."Effects of Biological Determinism on Beliefs and Attitudes About Transgender People: Psychological Essentialism and Biased Assimilation".Archives of Sexual Behavior 51.4(2022):1927–1942. |
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