The Effects of College Student's Perception of Social Norms on Self-Reported Sexual Behavior
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Date
2012-06
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
In self-reports of sexual behavior, males report more partners than females. While reliability established, validity is difficult to ascertain. The present study examines if an individual’s perception of social norms biases their own self-reports. Participants filled out a sexuality questionnaire with a cover sheet that presented social norms as either as sexually conservative, moderate, or liberal. Social norms were also presented as coming from research findings or quotations from interviews. Results indicated that male’s perception of social norms did influence their self-reported sexual behavior when the social norms were presented as quotations coming from interviews. This effect was enhanced in higher gender conforming males.
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Keywords
sexual behavior, self-reports, social norms, gender conformity, psychology