Dr. Parrott’s research program examines risk factors for antigay violence.  His research indicates that exposure to overt homosexuality elicits heightened negative affect and anger among sexually prejudiced men.  These increases in negative affect seem to mediate the relationship between sexual prejudice and activation of anger-related cognitive networks (Parrott, Zeichner, & Hoover, 2006) and may serve as a catalyst for sexually-prejudiced physical aggression toward gay, but not a heterosexual, men (Parrott & Zeichner, 2005). 

These studies have provided the foundation for more comprehensive future projects that aim to 1) elucidate further the mechanism(s) underlying the perpetration of antigay violence, and 2) examine the effects of acute alcohol intoxication on antigay violence.  To this end, Dr. Parrott’s laboratory has initiated a five-year multi-study investigation that will examine the independent and interactive effects of dispositional (e.g., sexual prejudice, masculine ideology, right wing authoritarianism, psychopathy), emotional (e.g., anger, negative affect), and situational (e.g., exposure to gender role violations, alcohol intoxication) risk factors on the perpetration of violence.  This project will be the largest laboratory-based investigation aimed at identifying determinants of antigay violence.  

Although much of his research is conducted with male participants, Dr. Parrott’s laboratory is also beginning to explore correlates of females’ antigay attitudes and to identify the circumstances in which these attitudes are most likely to translate into aggressive behavior.

Dr. Parrott is an Assistant Professor in the clinical psychology program.