A study of same sex touching attitudes

Scale development and personality predictors

Bibliographic Data

ID10210609
AuthorsKnud S Larsen (0000-0002-5418-1180, Oregon State University, corresponding author), Jeff LeRoux (Doctoral candidate at the University of California)
Year1984
Volume20
Issue3
Pages264-278
Publication date1984-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Sex Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-4499 • E-ISSN: 1559-8519
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00224498409551225
OpenAlexW2031169437
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited30

Attitudes toward same sex touching is an area of considerable importance to understanding sex‐role rigidity and heterosexual intimacy, and are thought to be significant to sexual adjustment and well‐being. A reliable and valid scale is needed for research on same sex touching. In this article, seven phases in the development of a Likert‐type scale measuring attitudes toward same sex touching (SSTS) are described. Phase 1 of the study was an item analysis producing part‐whole correlations ranging from .72 to .82, alpha = .98, and reproducibility = .93. Further, in Phase 2, the SSTS was shown to have moderate relationships to authoritarianism (r = ‐.38, p ≤ .01), rigidity (r = ‐.48, p ≤ .01), and socially desirable conceptions of femininity for both males (r = .46, p ≤ .01), and females (r = .31, p ≤ .01). In Phase 3 the construct validity correlations of Phase 2 were generally replicated. In Phases 4 and 5 significant correlations were found between the SSTS and Machiavellianism (r = ‐.25, p ≤ .05), religious orthodoxy (r = ‐.29, p ≤ .05), and locus of control (r = .35, p ≤ .05) for males and with radicalism—conservatism (r = .36, p ≤ .05) and self‐esteem (r = ‐.33, p ≤ .05) for females. Phase 5 yielded a ‐.77 (p ≤ .01) correlation between SSTS and the criterion touch‐avoidance measure. Finally, results from Phases 6 and 7 demonstrated promising SSTS discriminant validity. In particular, more positive attitudes were found for counseling as compared to science students. Furthermore, students working in task groups under cooperative conditions discriminate effectively on the SSTS for both self‐ and peer rankings on ease of same sex touching behavior

Authoritarianism · Big Five personality traits · Construct validity · Developmental psychology · Femininity · Likert scale · Machiavellianism · Personality · Psychometrics · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology