Does Perceived Cause of Homosexuality Matter?
The conditions under which the average individual would help a person perceived to be homosexual and whether perceived cause of homosexuality played a role was investigated. Two variables were examined: sexual orientation (obvious condition versus subtle condition) and perceived cause of homosexuality (innate versus learned). In the subtle condition a person wearing a rainbow colored bandana asked individual shoppers at a mall for help to tie on a rainbow colored bracelet. In the obvious condition, the person wore a hat on top of the bandana and also asked for help to tie on the rainbow colored bracelet. After taking part in the helping task, participants were approached by a second, and apparently unrelated group and asked whether they thought homosexuality was innate or a choice. Helping behavior was measured by the percentage of people who helped the person to tie on the bracelet and the length of time the person helped. Based on previous research on the effects of stigma on helping
