Comparison between implicit and explicit measures in the evaluation of gay male and heterosexual couples

Abstract

Due to possible limitations related to the use of explicit measures in research involving socially sensitive matters, the use of implicit measures has become a recurrent practice in several areas of knowledge. In this context, experiments which compare results generated by each type of measure become necessary and timely. The major aim of the present experiment was exactly to compare explicit and implicit measures on the evaluation of images of heterosexual and homosexual couples in self-declared heterosexual and gay men participants. For obtaining the explicit measure, the participants evaluated these images using a five-point Likert scale. For obtaining the implicit measure, in turn, they performed a task using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). In general, the IRAP results showed that heterosexual participants showed a positive behavioral bias both for photos of hetero-affective couples and for photos of same-sex couples. Gay men participants, in turn, showed a positive behavioral bias for photos of same-sex couples and were neutral with respect to photos of hetero-affective couples. Through the analysis of the results, it was possible to observe that the implicit and explicit measures differed mainly for the self-declared gay men participants. Such results are discussed in the light of the Relational Frame Theory and the possible differences in the reinforcement history of participants in these different groups.