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Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This study of 106 female and 61 male participants extended the work of previous studies by exploring gender differences in exposure to and reasons for viewing pornography and examining if viewing pornography has a negative effect on sexual attraction judgments of "real life" women. Participants were shown pictures of either centerfolds (experimental group), average real-life nude women (control group), or art pictures (control group), and then rated a real-life nude woman (target stimuli). It was hypothesized that men and women in the experimental group would rate the real-life nude woman as less attractive than either control group. Also measured was participants' consumption of pornography, reasons for viewing it, and their attitudes toward women. Results confirm that the experimental group rated the real-life woman as much less attractive than did either control group. Males report more traditional attitudes toward women, while women have more profeminist attitudes, yet these attitudes did not significantly predict exposure to or reasons for viewing sexual materials. Conclusions address the effect of pornography on views of women socially. Gender differences and implications as a whole are also discussed.

Publication Date

1999

Journal Title

Conference Proceedings: Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference

Volume

3

Issue

1

First Page

191

Last Page

200

Copyright

©1999 by the University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Publisher

University of Northern Iowa

City

Cedar Falls, IA

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