NCJ Number
177984
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: April 1997 Pages: 149-181
Date Published
1997
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This study examines the potential harm of sexually explicit and violent material on women viewers.
Abstract
The study investigated the idea that the media contribute to a cultural climate supportive of attitudes that facilitate violence against women, diminish concern for female victims (desensitization) and produce negative changes in women’s views of themselves. A pool of female introductory psychology students viewed a film per day for 4 days from one of three categories: sexually explicit but nonviolent stimuli, sexually explicit sexually violent stimuli, and mildly sexually explicit graphically violent stimuli. They then served as jurors in a simulated rape trial. Exposure to both types of violent stimuli produced desensitization and ratings of the stimuli as less degrading to women. Women exposed to the mildly sexually explicit, graphically violent stimuli were less sensitive toward the victim in the rape trial than were other film subjects. However, there were no differences between the film groups and the no-exposure control group on women’s views of themselves. Tables, notes, references