Replication of Gervais & Norenzayan (2012) Study 3

Gervais and Norenzayan (2012) conducted three studies examining the effects of reminders of secular authority reduced distrust in atheists. They concluded that reminders of secular authority (compared to a control condition) reduced distrust specifically of atheists, but not other outgroups (i.e., gays and lesbians). We conducted a preregistered, high-powered replication of Study 3 of Gervais and Norenzayan (2012). Inconsistent with the original study, we did not observe the hypothesized interaction effect. In other words, participants' distrust of atheists (and gays and lesbians) did not vary by secular authority reminders.