Moral Foundations, Disgust Sensitivity, and Homonegative Values

Previous research has demonstrated that the emotion of disgust can influence individuals to make severe moral judgments and that disgust has also been linked to having homonegative attitudes. This study aimed to investigate whether disgust would influence how individuals rate moral values and how individuals perceive homosexuality. Participants were either exposed to an experimental disgust prime or a control neutral prime and then asked to rate their moral values using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire. They were also given a Modern Homonegativity Scale to gauge their attitudes towards homosexuality. It is expected that the participants exposed to the disgust prime will rate the moral value of purity more severely than those exposed to the neutral prime. It is also expected that the participants exposed to the disgust prime will hold more homonegative attitudes compared to those exposed to the neutral prime and that, overall, homonegative attitudes and the moral value of purity will be positively correlated