Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Mixed-Sex Couples with Down Syndrome: Impacts of Personhood Perception

Despite self-reported positive explicit attitudes toward mixed-sex couples with Down Syndrome (DS), impacts of socially desirable responding have been a concern for researchers. Thus, the current study investigated variations in implicit and explicit attitudes toward mixed-sex couples with and without DS, impacts of socially desirable responding, and how perceptions of personhood (i.e., the extent to which those with DS are just as ‘human’ as those without). accounted for variations in these attitudes. College students (N = 261) were instructed to complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and measures of explicit attitudes, socially desirable responding, and personhood perception Results revealed a slight implicit preference toward those without DS over those with DS (D_IAT = -0.20), and implicit measures depicted more bias than did explicit measures. Perceptions of personhood were positively correlated with both implicit and explicit attitudes, however, social desirability did not significantly moderate this relationship. Results from this study have important implications for personhood-centered interventions that could potentially reduce stigma and promote increased autonomy for anyone with DS in romantic relationship engagement.