There is a link between the acknowledgement of homophobia by participants and lower intelligence or cognizance levels. Rephrased and perhaps even oversimplified, it means that people who hate LGBT people are generally less intelligent.
This is according to a study, “The cognitive roots of prejudice towards same-sex couples: An analysis of an Australian national sample” that was led by Francisco Perales, and which appeared in Intelligence magazine.
Involving 11,654 people, the study used three fundamental and standardized tests. The first is the National Adult Reading Test, which is a commonly used and generally accepted test used in a neurophysiological clinical setting to determine intelligence levels in patients who have been diagnosed with dementia. The Symbol Digits Modalities Test is another test used in the study. This test is normally used to assess the level of brain damage that has resulted from severe injury or diseases and is said to be able to detect cognitive impairment in less than five minutes. The last type of test used is also frequently used in neuroscience research labs and can be categorized as a memory test.
The findings indicate that individuals with low cognitive ability are less likely to support equal rights for same-sex couples. This pattern holds in the presence of confounds, is consistent across measures of ability, and is more pronounced for verbal ability.
But the researchers found that cognitive ability was not the only factor that was affecting the people’s homophobia, with education also having a role in it.
“Education and cognitive ability affect attitudes through similar channels, but retain independent effects,” stated the researchers.
It is hoped that this survey stressed the importance of awareness that can be raised and for education to be furthered to counteract prejudice towards members of the LGBTQIA Community.
