Prototypicalité et évocations hiérarchisées : les personnes transgenres constituent-elles une catégorie homogène avec des membres interchangeables ?

Abstract

Introduction

To understand transphobia, it is necessary to clarify the ambiguity raised by the assignment to categories and the homogeneous/interchangeable aspect of transgender, non-binary, androgynous and genderfluid people. We want to provide accuracies with the prototypical theory and by a language approach.

Objective

The aim of the present research is to determine whether those different persons belong to a homogeneous whole or to several categories with interchangeable (or not) members.

Method

Five hundred forty-two responses have been collected using the method of hierarchical evocations. We randomly presented to respondents a stimulus word (transgender, non-binary, androgynous or genderfluid). Then, participants had to give the first five words occurred to them following the presentation of the stimulus and to classify these words induced from the most to least important to the stimulus.

Results

Several analyses were carried out and showed that semantic categories of induced words were more or less similar between the stimuli (whole or not of categories). Next, we studied the types of word (adjectives, nouns, and verbs) which were different between the stimuli (inclusion level of categories and homogeneity). Finally, prototypical analyses showed induced words with a high frequency and rank of importance more or less similar between stimuli (interchangeability).

Conclusion

Transgender, non-binary, androgynous and genderfluid people seem to be perceived as belonging to a non-homogeneous whole, with more or less interchangeable members.