Sexual Orientation Biases Attentional Control: A Possible Gaydar Mechanism

Frontiers in Psychology

Lorenza S. Colzato¹ 

关键词: sexual orientation;    attention;    global precedence;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00013

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Homosexuals are believed to have a “sixth sense” for recognizing each other, an ability referred to as gaydar. We considered that being a homosexual might rely on systematic practice of processing relatively specific, local perceptual features, which might lead to a corresponding chronic bias of attentional control. This was tested by comparing male and female homosexuals and heterosexuals – brought up in the same country and culture and matched in terms of race, intelligence, sex, mood, age, personality, religious background, educational style, and socio-economic situation – in their efficiency to process global and local features of hierarchically-constructed visual stimuli. Both homosexuals and heterosexuals showed better performance on global features – the standard global precedence effect. However, this effect was significantly reduced in homosexuals, suggesting a relative preference for detail. Findings are taken to demonstrate chronic, generalized biases in attentional control parameters that reflect the selective reward provided by the respective sexual orientation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY