NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/soc/feminism/3372

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From: uunet!infmx![e-mail] (Robert Coleman)
Subject: Re: Archetypical anti-anti-porn comment
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Date: 22 Jan 93 23:26:53 GMT
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[e-mail] (".Siren.") writes:

>[Dan Z. posted (excerpted!):]
>>... It would be nice (and helpful I think) to discuss why some women
>>feel threatened by pornography. But this discussion can only happen
>>when we have a clear view of pornography. Porn doesn't cause sex
>>crimes. The article we have been discussing claimed that it does. How
>>can the discussion proceed?

>A lot of presumably intelligent people (as evidenced by the number of
>posters on the other side of the debate so far) _DO_ think that there
>_is_ a relation between pornography and sex crimes, so it can't be as
>obvious as the previous poster seems to imply that there is no causal
>connection (which is all that is being said-- no one said that porn
>_will _cause_ sex crimes in any given case).  With a wave of the hand
>(wand?) all women's concerns in the matter have been dismissed (and
>in a patronizing tone)!

    Ironically, you talk about "intelligent" people.  Most of the
argument in this particular version of this thread has centered around
the request by a reader for, essentially, an "intellectual"
discussion.  He was told, in many different ways, not to seek
intellectual reasons, but rather to pay attention to emotional ones.

    The intelligence of the "causal" proponents really is
incidental, if all that are to be advanced are emotional reasons.
Your paragraph seems to indicate that their intelligence is an
important consideration in evaluating the correctness of their
position; I'd agree with you.  It's just that we haven't seen an
intelligent defense of the causal position as yet (and I don't mean
that in a derogatory sense, but rather as an opposite to "emotional"
defense).  The (intelligent) concerns of the intelligent people
haven't been dismissed, patronizingly or not, because they haven't, as
yet, been advanced.

    Having done some due diligence by seeking out and reading
material having to do with studies on the relationship between
pornography and sex crimes [see references below --CTM], I can defend
my beliefs.  I'm not getting any evidence that those who believe in
positive connections have similarly done their homework.  If they
have, they certainly aren't defending the position (except, again, by
referring us to women's "feelings", an avoidance of things
intellectual, and a reference that, in my case at least, didn't lead
to the conclusion they'd expected anyway).

    It isn't "with a wave of the hand" (and incidentally, "wand"
without a smiley is about as patronizing as one can get) that the
causal connection is dismissed, but rather it's a result of the lack
of intellectual defense, and, in my case, the failure of the emotional
defense as well. (And incidentally again, it isn't only women who
believe in a causal connection, and hence "dismissal" wouldn't just be
dismissing women's concerns...in fact, how did you work from
"intelligent *people*" to "*women's* concerns"? And, as I demonstrated
earlier, there's some reason to doubt that women's beliefs on this
issue are monolithic enough to justify calling dismissal of the causal
belief dismissal of "women's concerns").

    Of course, you yourself could change all that, if you so
chose.  I don't know about others, but I'd welcome an intellectual
discussion, since there's no way to research everything, and the more
thought put into analysis of the data, the better.

[This was the original end of the article.  I asked for references --
 and got them! --CTM]

    One of the moderators has asked me to provide some sources for
studies on the effects of pornography.  Here is a list of abstracts I
glommed off the net in late 1990, originally posted to soc.men and
soc.women by (apparently) Roger Tang.  I've included his comment.

    Additionally, I recommend

    U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography: The Report, 1970
        U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.

    Attorney General's Commission on Pornography: Final Report, 1986
        U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C.

        (The 1986 report being more of a lesson in rhetoric and
    politics; note that all of the women on the commission refused to
    sign the anti-pornography final report, for instance...)

    Kutchinsky, Berl. "Towards an Explanation of The Decrease in
Registered Sex Crimes in Copenhagen." (Part of the USCOP Technical
Review, Vol 8, 1970)

    Kutchinsky, Berl.  "Pornography and It's Effects in Denmark
and the United States: A Rejoinder and Beyond."  in Comparitive Social
Research: An Annual.  Vol. 8.  Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1985

    And, as I mentioned before:

    F.M. Christensen. "Elicitation of Violence: The Evidence", in
"Pornography: Private Right or Public Menace?", edited by Robert M.
Baird and Stuart E. Rosenbaum, Prometheus Books, Buffalo New York.
    ...which gives more references...

    I particularly enjoyed the results of the first study, which
found that patrons of an adult theater had more favorable attitudes
toward women than the female college students (!)

    Also, note that some of these studies *do* find some
correlation.  I'm not attempting to pretend that studies with that
result don't exist; in fact, if they didn't, I'd think someone was
lying.  Nor am I attempting to hide these studies; I'd much rather
people know about them, and think about them.  For instance, there are
a number of studies that correlate aggression with violent
pornography; but there are two aspects to this material, violence and
pornography.  Why do they automatically place the blame on the
pornography (not try to isolate further?)  In studies that do isolate
further, the correlation is found to be with violence, not with
pornography.

    (This caused a bit of an uproar with the Meese Commission, for
instance; they thought they had found a study showing violent
pornography positively correlated with violence, and were immediately
repudiated by the authors of the study, who pointed out that the
correlation of violence was with...violent depictions.)

    Another example is the study below that talks about
competitive RT tasks including application of shocks.  A Control group
was used viewing neutral slides with a silent woman; but this isn't a
control for the three situations listed!  Where is the control of a
"friendly" woman and an "unfriendly" woman during neutral slides?
Without such a control group, I'd tend to suspect that degree of
"friendly acquaintanceship" has more to do with the results than the
actual film viewed...

    Personally, I find the real-life "experiments" more convincing
than laboratory experiments. That's why I find the results of
Kutchinsky's analysis of the decrease in sexual crimes in Copenhagen
after liberalization of Pornography, or the study mentioned below
testing aggression from males self-reported by females before and
after a campus showing of an X-rated movie, more convincing than some
of the others...

    Enjoy!

Robert C.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    May I re-present this?  Instead of vague handwaving about what
studies found what, here are some abstracts from the last seven years
about pornography viewing and subsequent overt behavior.  Read them,
look up the originals, and THEN we can argue about exactly WHAT porn
does or does not do to people and what to do about it.....


Pornography, erotica, and attitudes toward women:
The effects of repeated exposure.
Padgett,-Vernon-R.; Brislin-Slutz,-Jo-A.; Neal,-James-A.
Rio Hondo Coll, Whittier, CA, US
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1989 Nov Vol 26(4) 479-491
PY: 1989
AB: Assessed the relationship between pornography and attitudes
 toward women in 2 correlational studies, and tested the effect
 of nonviolent erotica on attitudes toward women with 184
 psychology students and 20 patrons at an "adult" theater. Hours
 of viewing pornography was not a reliable predictor of attitudes
 toward women in either sample. Patrons of the adult theater, who
 viewed more pornography, had more favorable attitudes toward
 women than male or female Ss.

Pornography and sexual offences.
Langevin,-Ron; Lang,-Reuben-A.; Wright,-Percy; Handy,-Lorraine; et-al
Clarke Inst of Psychiatry, Toronto, ON, Canada
Annals-of-Sex-Research; 1988 Vol 1(3) 335-362
LA: English
PY: 1988
AB: Examined whether erotica is harmful and incites sexual crimes
 by interviewing 227 male sex offenders and 50 control Ss from
 the community in Canada about purchase of erotic magazines and
 videos and attendance at erotic movies. Erotica use was not a
 pertinent factor in offenders' sex offenses nor to their legal
 situation. Results do not support the conclusion of the Meese
 Commission (1986) that there is a causal association of sexual
 violence and use of violent pornography.

Physiological desensitization and judgments about female victims of violence.
Linz,-Daniel; Donnerstein,-Edward; Adams,-Steven-M.
U California, Santa Barbara, US
Human-Communication-Research; 1989 Sum Vol 15(4) 509-522
AB: 29 male undergraduates viewed a control film (nonviolent with
 explicit sexual content) and 34 male undergraduates viewed an
 experimental film (violent with explicit sexual content). All Ss
 were then exposed to 2 brief clips of violence perpetrated by a
 man against a woman while their heart rates were monitored.
 Results indicate that heart rates for Ss exposed to the violent
 videotape were lower during the final 90 sec of each violent
 dependent measure film clip than controls. Although the
 violence-viewing Ss experienced no change in moods, control Ss
 experienced significant increases in hostility, anxiety, and
 depression during the dependent measure clips. Ss in the
 violence-viewing condition attributed less injury to the victims
 but greater responsibility to the perpetrators in the dependent
 measure clips, compared to control Ss.

Child sexual abuse and pornography: Is there a relationship?
Knudsen,-Dean-D.
Purdue U, West Lafayette, IN, US
Journal-of-Family-Violence; 1988 Dec Vol 3(4) 253-267
AB: A review of official reports and other research indicates
 that the circumstances surrounding sexual abuse are inadequately
 specified to allow specific causal interpretations. The role of
 pornography in contributing to such abuse is explored by
 reviewing laboratory studies and the circumstances of child
 sexual abuse. An assessment of the research literature suggests
 that pornography is a minor and indirect influence on child
 sexual maltreatment.

Exposure to sexually explicit materials and attitudes toward rape:
A comparison of study results.
Linz,-Daniel
U California Communication Studies Program, Santa Barbara, US
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1989 Feb Vol 26(1) 50-84
AB: Reviews experimental studies conducted since the 1970
 pornography commission that have tested the effects of exposure
 to sexually explicit materials on attitudes and perceptions
 about rape. Studies of short-term exposure to nonaggressive
 sexually explicit communications have yielded mixed results.
 When effects do exist for this material, they are both fewer and
 weaker than antisocial effects from sexually violent material.
 Studies of the effects of long-term exposure to nonviolent
 pornography have also yielded mixed results: Some experiments
 find increases in negative attitudes about rape, and others show
 no effects. Studies that have included violent film conditions
 have consistently found less sensitivity toward rape victims
 after exposure to these materials.

A preliminary examination of the pornography experience of sex
offenders, paraphiliacs, sexual dysfunction patients, and controls
based on Meese Commission recommendations.
Condron,-Mary-K.; Nutter,-David-E.
Sexual Behavior Ctr, Lancaster, PA, US
Journal-of-Sex-and-Marital-Therapy; 1988 Win Vol 14(4) 285-298
AB: The Meese Commission Report (1986) claims that exposure to
 pornography leads to sex offenses and states that it is
 important to examine the developmental patterns of offenders.
 The present study found that the frequency of use of
 pornography, age of exposure to pornography, age of 1st
 masturbation experience, and use of pornography during 1st
 masturbation experience for 62 male sex offenders, paraphiliacs,
 sexual dysfunction patients, and controls were not significantly
 different.

Pornography and rape: A causal model.
Russell,-Diana-E.
Mills Coll, Oakland, CA, US
Political-Psychology; 1988 Mar Vol 9(1) 41-73
AB: Contends that in order for rape to occur, a man must not only
 be predisposed to rape, but his internal and social inhibitions
 against acting out rape desires must be undermined. It is
 theorized that pornography (1) predisposes some men to want to
 rape women or intensifies the predisposition in other men
 already so predisposed; (2) undermines some men's internal
 inhibitions against acting out their rape desires; and (3)
 undermines some men's social inhibitions against the acting out.
 Research substantiating this theory is presented and discussed,
 and suggestions are made for further research.

Rape rates and the circulation rates of adult magazines.
Scott,-Joseph-E.; Schwalm,-Loretta-A.
Ohio State U, Columbus, US
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1988 Vol 24 241-250
AB: Examination of reported rape rates and the sale of 10 popular
 adult magazines by states for 1982 revealed a significant
 relationship. Although the assumption was that the more sexually
 explicit magazines and those containing the most violent sexual
 depictions would have higher correlations with rape rates,
 correlations for individual magazines indicate the opposite.

The censorship of pornography: Catharsis or learning?
McCormack,-Thelma
York U, Toronto, ON, Canada
American-Journal-of-Orthopsychiatry; 1988 Oct Vol 58(4) 493-504
AB: Asserts that contemporary research on pornography reveals an
 impasse between the models of catharsis and learning. It is
 suggested that preference for the latter by a recent government
 report (US Department of Justice, 1986) is based on ideological
 rather than scientific considerations. The breakdown in the
 liberal tradition, current pornography research based on
 behaviorism, and 2 major theoretical problems are discussed. An
 alternative approach is suggested that uses knowledge of
 sexuality, gender inequality, and institutional oppression, and
 the meaning of texts to better understand pornography. It is
 argued that censorship may obstruct research and fail to advance
 feminist goals. (

Beitrag zur Beziehung von Video-Filmkonsum und Kriminalitat in der
Adoleszenz. / Relationship between viewing of video films and
criminality in adolescents.
Klosinski,-G.
U Bern, Jugendpsychiatrischen Klinik und Poliklinik, Switzerland
Praxis-der-Kinderpsychologie-und-Kinderpsychiatrie; 1987 Feb-Mar
Vol 36(2) 66-71
AB: Presents 3 forensic-psychiatric case reports in which
 criminal acts perpetrated by adolescent males were associated
 with previously viewed horror or pornographic videos. In each
 case, the videos served to precipitate and legitimize a neurotic
 solution to existing conflicts. It is suggested that in
 exceptionally unusual, ludicrous, or cruel offenses by
 adolescents, the possibility of video-induced criminality should
 be considered.

Effects of long-term exposure to violent and sexually
 degrading depictions of women.
Linz,-Daniel-G.; Donnerstein,-Edward; Penrod,-Steven
U California, Communication Studies Program, Santa Barbara, US
Journal-of-Personality-and-Social-Psychology; 1988 Nov Vol 55(5) 758-768
AB: Investigated the effects of emotional desensitization to
 films of violence against women and the effects of sexually
 degrading explicit and nonexplicit films on beliefs about rape
 and the sexual objectification of women. Males viewed either 2
 or 5 R-rated violent "slasher," X-rated nonviolent
 "pornographic," or R-rated nonviolent teenage-oriented ("teen
 sex") films. Affective reactions and cognitive perceptions were
 measured after each exposure. Later, these men and no-exposure
 control Ss completed a voir dire questionnaire, viewed a
 reenacted acquaintance or nonacquaintance sexual assault trial,
 and judged the defendant and alleged rape victim. Ss in the
 violent condition became less anxious and depressed and showed
 declines in negative affective responses. They were also less
 sympathetic to the victim and less empathetic toward rape
 victims in general. However, longer film exposure was necessary
 to affect general empathy. There were no differences in response
 between the R-rated teen sex film and the X-rated, sexually
 explicit, nonviolent film, and the no-exposure control
 conditions on the objectification or the rape trial variables. A
 model of desensitization to media violence and the carryover to
 decision making about victims is proposed. (

Violent pornography and self-reported likelihood of sexual aggression.
Demare,-Dano; Briere,-John; Lips,-Hilary-M.
U Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Journal-of-Research-in-Personality; 1988 Jun Vol 22(2) 140-153
AB: 222 undergraduate males were administered an attitudes survey
 examining pornography use, attitudes, and self-reported
 likelihood of rape (LR) or using sexual force (LF). Nonviolent
 pornography was used by 81% of Ss within the previous year,
 whereas 41% and 35% had used violent and sexually violent
 pornography, respectively. 27% of Ss indicated some hypothetical
 LR or LF. Discriminant function analysis revealed that use of
 sexually violent pornography and acceptance of interpersonal
 violence against women were uniquely associated with LF and LR.
 It is hypothesized that the specific fusion of sex and violence
 in some pornographic stimuli and in certain belief systems may
 produce a propensity to engage in sexually aggressive behavior.

An empirical investigation of the role of pornography in the
 verbal and physical abuse of women.
Sommers,-Evelyn-K.; Check,-James-V.
York U, Toronto, ON, Canada
Violence-and-Victims; 1987 Fal Vol 2(3) 189-209
AB: Studied the presence of pornography and both sexual and
 nonsexual violence in the lives of 44 battered women drawn from
 shelters and counseling groups, and a comparison group of 32
 women from a mature university population. It was found that the
 partners of the battered Ss read or viewed significantly greater
 amounts of pornographic materials than did the partners of the
 comparison group. In addition, 39% of the battered Ss (in
 contrast to 3% of the comparison group) responded in the
 affirmative to the question, "Has your partner ever upset you by
 trying to get you to do what he'd seen in pornographic pictures,
 movies, or books?" It was also found that battered Ss
 experienced significantly more sexual aggression at the hands of
 their partners than did the Ss in the comparison group.

Four theories of rape: A macrosociological analysis.
 International Congress on Rape (1986, Tel Aviv, Israel).
Baron,-Larry; Straus,-Murray-A.
U California Ctr for the Study of Women, Los Angeles, US
Social-Problems; 1987 Dec Vol 34(5) 467-489
AB: Presents a theoretical model that integrates 4
 macrosociological theories of gender inequality, proliferation
 of pornographic materials, cultural spillover of violence to
 other social contexts, and social disorganization as mechanisms
 promoting rape. The theoretical model was tested, using 1980
-1982 data on rapes known to the police in the 50 states in the
 US. The results show that gender inequality, social
 disorganization, percent residing in standard metropolitan
 statistical areas, the circulation of pornography, economic
 inequality, and percent unemployed had direct effects on the
 incidence of rape.

The use of sexually explicit stimuli by rapists, child molesters,
and nonoffenders.
Marshall,-W.-L.
Queen's U, Kingston, ON, Canada
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1988 May Vol 25(2) 267-288
AB: 89 male sex offenders (voluntary outpatients) and 24 male
 nonoffenders were asked to retrospectively recall their use of
 sexually explicit materials during pubescence, and currently. 23
 rapists and 51 men who molested children other than their own
 (i.e., child molesters) reported significantly greater use of
 materials than was indicated by either incest offenders or
 nonoffender controls. Rapists and child molesters reported
 frequent use of these materials while preparing themselves to
 commit an offense. Current use was significantly related to the
 chronicity of their sexual offending (as revealed by number of
 victims) among the child molesters and to laboratory-assessed
 sexual preferences for children in the heterosexual child
 molesters.

The pornography/aggression linkage: Results from a field study.
Smith,-M.-Dwayne; Hand,-Carl
Tulane U, New Orleans, LA, US
Deviant-Behavior; 1987 Vol 8(4) 389-399
AB: Assessed the impact of presenting a pornographic movie on a
 college campus in a longitudinal, self-report study of 230 women
 students to determine effects of the film's showing on the Ss'
 experiences with aggression from males. Compared with the weeks
 prior to and following the movie's showing, no significant
 difference in reported aggression was found. Those Ss reporting
 association with males attending the movie reported no
 significantly different levels of experienced aggression from
 those Ss whose companions did not view the film. PO: Human

Use of pornography in the criminal and developmental histories of
sexual offenders.
Carter,-Daniel-L.; Prentky,-Robert-A.; Knight,-Raymond-A.; Vanderveer,-Penny-L.; et-al
Massachusetts Treatment Ctr, Research Dept, Bridgewater, US
Journal-of-Interpersonal-Violence; 1987 Jun Vol 2(2) 196-211
AB: Investigated exposure to and use of pornography in the
 familial, developmental, and criminal histories of 64
 incarcerated male volunteers (38 rapists and 26 child
 molesters). Data were gathered using a paper-and-pencil self
-report questionnaire. Results show that while both groups
 reported similar exposure to pornography in the home and during
 development, child molesters indicated significantly more
 exposure than rapists in adulthood and were significantly more
 likely both to use such materials prior to and during the
 offenses and to employ pornography to relieve an impulse to act
 out. Findings are discussed with regard to the catharsis
 hypothesis and to the role of pornography in the commission of
 sexual offenses for certain types of rapists and child
 molesters.

"Stranger" child--murder: Issues relating to causes and controls.
Wilson,-Paul-R.
Australian Inst of Criminology, Canberra, ACT, Australia
International-Journal-of-Offender-Therapy-and-Comparative-Criminology;
1987 Vol 31(1) 49-59
AB: Discusses the causes and control of serial killings of
 children. Despite the tendency to view such killers as
 psychiatrically ill, studies suggesting that these offenders do
 not differ psychologically from nonoffenders are cited. It is
 suggested that subcultural and other sociological perspectives
 stressing social disadvantage have low levels of explanatory
 power. While evidence concerning the effects of media on sexual
 and violent crime is inconclusive, case studies indicate that
 pornography and even popular music may increase the propensity
 of some individuals to commit atrocities. It is concluded that
 countermeasures to control stranger killing of children lie in
 more sophisticated law enforcement, long periods of
 incarceration, and more sophisticated crime analysis.

The findings and recommendations of the Attorney General's Commission
on Pornography: Do the psychological "facts" fit the political fury?
Linz,-Daniel; Donnerstein,-Edward; Penrod,-Steven
U California, Los Angeles
American-Psychologist; 1987 Oct Vol 42(10) 946-953
AB: The Attorney General's Commission on Pornography has
 concluded that there is a causal relationship between exposure
 to many forms of pornography and several antisocial effects,
 including increased levels of violence against women. As a
 result of these findings, the commission has called for more
 strict enforcement of existing obscenity laws and serious
 consideration of additional legal measures not traditionally
 handled under obscenity law. The authors question whether the
 social science data relied on by the commission justifies either
 the commission's conclusions about harm or the call for more
 stringent law enforcement. Although some of the commission's
 findings appear to be sound extrapolations from the empirical
 studies, the authors find several of the commission's findings
 and recommendations incongruent with available research data.
 Instead of advocating stricter legal controls the authors
 reiterate their call for educational programs to mitigate the
 effects of sexual violence in the media.

Exposure to pornography and attitudes about women and rape: A
correlational study.
Garcia,-Luis-T.
Rutgers U, Camden Coll
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1986 Aug Vol 22(3) 378-385
AB: Investigated the relationship between exposure to sexually
 explicit material and attitudes toward rape in 115 male
 undergraduates. Data provide mixed support for the hypothesis
 that exposure to pornographic materials would be correlated with
 less liberal attitudes toward women: Only exposure to coercive
 or violent sexual themes was related to more traditional
 attitudes about women. Contrary to predictions, Ss having
 greater exposure to sexual materials were found to express more
 liberal attitudes toward women in the area of sexual behavior.

Pornography and sex-related crime: A sociological
 perspective. Hong Kong Psychological Society: Psychosocial
 aspects of pornography (1986, Hong Kong).
Sharp,-Imogen
U Hong Kong
Bulletin-of-the-Hong-Kong-Psychological-Society; 1986 Jan-Jul No 16-17 73-81
AB: Suggests that the incidence of reported rape is lower in
 areas in which there are more liberal attitudes toward
 pornography. Women may choose to not report a rape because of
 fear, threat of further victimization, or powerlessness and
 helplessness. In a society that has a liberal tolerance for
 pornography and in which rape is often presented as a normal
 part of male-female relations, a woman may assume that rape
 would not be viewed as a serious offense by authorities.

Pornography as cause or pornographic experience as constituted?
Hong Kong Psychological Society: Psychosocial aspects of pornography
(1986, Hong Kong).
Tsang,-Adolf
U Hong Kong
Bulletin-of-the-Hong-Kong-Psychological-Society; 1986 Jan-Jul No 16-17 29-32
AB: Suggests that pornography should not be viewed as the cause
 of certain behaviors but as the material constituent of a
 pornographic experience. Experiments that attempt to assess the
 effects of pornography on behavior ignore the element of choice
 in the real-life pornographic situation, since the experimental
 Ss are presented with pornography while it must be actively
 sought out in real life. It is also suggested that determining
 what constitutes pornography may depend on an individual's
 personal experience.

Fifteen years of pornography research: Does exposure to pornography have
 any effects? Hong Kong Psychological Society: Psychosocial aspects of
 pornography (1986, Hong Kong).
Hui,-C.-Harry
U Hong Kong
Bulletin-of-the-Hong-Kong-Psychological-Society; 1986 Jan-Jul No 16-17 41-62
AB: Reviews 35 studies published between 1972 and 1985 on whether
 exposure to pornography (EP) has any effects on behavior. One
 study examined the effects of EP on prosocial behavior (none was
 found); 20 studies assessed the effects of EP on antisocial
 behavior and found general support for a causal link between EP
 and aggression; 3 studies found some evidence of a link between
 EP and rape; and 11 studies examined the relationship between EP
 and moral values and attitudes and found some evidence relating
 EP to a greater acceptance by men of the victimization of women.
 Overall, the studies indicate that pornography does have
 psychosocial effects on users, contrary to the 1970 report by
 the US Congress's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.

The question of pornography.
Donnerstein,-Edward-I.; Linz,-Daniel-G.
U California, Santa Barbara
Psychology-Today; 1986 Dec Vol 20(12) 56-59
AB: Questions the conclusions of the 1986 US Attorney General's
 Commission on Pornography and argues that the most important
 problem in the media is not pornography but violence. Research
 is summarized that suggests that the amount of violence depicted
 in pornography has not increased, that the aggression-evoking
 effects of exposure to sexually violent material may be
 temporary, that materials depicting women "enjoying" rape have
 especially damaging effects on male attitudes, and that violence
 against women need not occur in a sexual context to have a
 negative effect on viewer attitudes and behavior.

Mass media sexual violence and male viewers: Current theory and research.
Donnerstein,-Edward-I.; Linz,-Daniel-G.
U Wisconsin, Ctr for Communication Research, Madison
American-Behavioral-Scientist; 1986 May-Jun Vol 29(5) 601-618
AB: Reviews research on aggressive pornography and research that
 examines nonpornographic media images of violence against women.
 The question of whether pornography influences behaviors and
 attitudes toward women is considered. There is no evidence for
 any "harm"-related effects from sexually explicit materials. But
 research may support potential harmful effects from aggressive
 materials. Although messages about violence and the sexualized
 nature of violence may be part of some forms of pornography,
 they are also pervasive in media messages in general, from
 prime-time TV to popular films. It is concluded that the media
 is just one of many influences in society that contribute to
 men's callous attitudes about rape and sexual aggression.

Repeated exposure to violent and nonviolent pornography: Likelihood of
raping ratings and laboratory aggression against women.
Malamuth,-Neil-M.; Ceniti,-Joseph
U California, Los Angeles
Aggressive-Behavior; 1986 Vol 12(2) 129-137
AB: Examined the long-term effects of repeated exposure to
 violent and nonviolent pornography on males' laboratory
 aggression against women and their self-reported likelihood of
 raping. 42 university students were randomly assigned to the
 sexually violent, sexually nonviolent, or control exposure
 conditions. Those assigned to the sexually violent or sexually
 nonviolent conditions were exposed over a 4-wk period to 10
 stimuli including feature-length films and written and pictorial
 depictions, whereas controls were not exposed to any stimuli.
 Following the end of the exposure phase, Ss participated in what
 they believed to be a totally unrelated experiment in which
 aggression was assessed within a Buss paradigm. Exposure to the
 violent or nonviolent pornographic stimuli did not affect
 laboratory aggression, but likelihood of raping ratings
 predicted laboratory aggression.

"Prudes" and "pornographiles": Effects of subject and audience attitudes
on the viewing and rating of pornographic materials.
Yuen,-Kenneth; Ickes,-William
U Wisconsin
Journal-of-Social-and-Clinical-Psychology; 1984 Fal Vol 2(3) 215-229
AB: Examined stereotyped conceptions of the prude and the pornographile
by testing the responses of 72 male undergraduates with anti- or
propornography attitudes to pornographic stimuli presented in varying
social contexts. Specifically, both types of Ss were allowed to view
and rate a series of pornographic slides in 1 of 3 conditions: alone
(control) or in the presence of a peer whose expressed attitude toward
pornography was either favorable or unfavorable. For measures of viewing
time and rated pornographic value, the antipornography Ss were more
susceptible to the influence of the peer audience's expressed attitude
than were the propornography Ss. In general, the stereotyped images of
the prude and the pornographile were supported. However, it remains to
be determined to what degree the observed differences were due to
personality, social comparison, and arousal-attribution processes.

Self-regulated exposure to erotica, recall errors, and
The relief of sexual problems through pornography.
Court,-John-H.
Australian-Journal-of-Sex,-Marriage-and-Family; 1984 May Vol 5(2) 97-106
AB: Examines the scientific foundations for claimed efficacy of sexually
 explicit materials for use in sex therapy. The term   pornography   is
 examined to establish important distinctions between different
 materials, and the case for pornography, as advanced by W. C. Wilson
 (1978), is examined critically. While acknowledging that many therapists
 are finding sexually explicit materials educationally valuable in the
 treatment of sexual disorders, it is concluded that the evidence is
 insufficient for the therapeutic use of what most people mean by
 pornography. (28 ref)

Pornography and sexual abuse of women.
Silbert,-Mimi-H.; Pines,-Ayala-M.
Delancey Street Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Sex-Roles; 1984 Jun Vol 10(11-12) 857-868
AB: Interviewed 200 juvenile and adult, current and former, female
 street prostitutes, aged 10-46 yrs, to investigate the sexual abuse of
 street prostitutes. 70% of the Ss were less than 21 yrs old; 60% were
 less than 17 yrs old. 69% of the Ss were White and 18% were Black. 68%
 were single and never married. 42% described themselves as very poor.
 The Ss were administered a sexual assault experience questionnaire
 consisting of questions on background information, forms of assault
 experienced, history of juvenile sexual exploitation, and self-concept.
 Many of the descriptions of sexual assaults made reference to the role
 played by pornography; these references were unsolicited by the
 interviewers. A detailed content analysis of 193 cases of rape and of
 178 cases of juvenile sexual abuse revealed a clear relationship
 between violent pornography and sexual abuse in the experience of
 street prostitutes. Results can neither confirm nor reject the
 catharsis model of pornography; however, they lend considerable weight
 to the imitation model.

The effects of erotica and pornography on attitudes and behavior:
A review.
Masterson,-John
U Dublin, Trinity Coll, Ireland
Bulletin-of-the-British-Psychological-Society; 1984 Aug Vol 37 249-252
AB: Reviews the literature on the effects of erotica (ER) and
 pornography (PN) on attitudes and behavior, noting that researching
 these topics poses difficult experimental problems. The reliability of
 data on availability and use of PN is questionable. It is asserted that
 the context in which PN thrives needs to be reexamined. Of particular
 interest is the degree of acceptance of coercion in sexual relations
 by "normal" males and females. Findings on ER vs PN are discussed, and
 decisions concerning the effects of PN and ER by the US National
 Commission on Obscenity and Pornography and the Committee on Obscenity
 and Film Censorship (UK) are reviewed. Current concern centers around
 violent sexual material. Research has shown that exposure to sexually
 violent material can lead to antisocial attitudes and behavior. It has
 been argued that the enjoyment of PN by individuals will decline when
 such individuals begin to accord women their status as fully human. It
 is concluded that PN can be viewed as a useful indicator of the state
 of male-female relations in society

Debriefing effectiveness following exposure to pornographic rape
depictions.
Malamuth,-Neil-M.; Check,-James-V.
U California, Los Angeles
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1984 Feb Vol 20(1) 1-13
AB: Examined the ethics of exposing undergraduate students to
 pornographic rape portrayals followed by a debriefing designed to
 dispel a number of rape myths. 150 Ss were randomly assigned to read
 pornographic stories. Some of these depicted a rape, whereas others
 depicted mutually consenting intercourse. Afterwards, those exposed to
 the rape version were given a debriefing that included statements
 concerning the true horror of rape and the existence of rape myths.
 About 10 days later, a survey ostensibly conducted by a local committee
 of citizens was given to Ss in their classes. As part of the survey, Ss
 indicated their reactions to a rape article and their opinions about the
 general causes of rape. Results indicate that those exposed to the rape
 depictions followed by a debriefing were less accepting of certain rape
 myths than Ss exposed to mutually consenting intercourse depictions.
 Implications are discussed both in terms of work focusing on the
 potential antisocial impact of violent pornography and of research
 specifically designed to identify the conditions most likely to change
 acceptance of rape myths.

Can there be positive effects of participation in pornography experiments?
Check,-James-V.; Malamuth,-Neil-M.
York U, Downsview, Canada
Journal-of-Sex-Research; 1984 Feb Vol 20(1) 14-31
AB: Conducted a 2-phase experiment in response to recent ethical
 concerns about the possible antisocial effects of exposing research
 Ss to pornographic rape portrayals. In Phase 1, 64 male and 94 female
 undergraduates were randomly assigned to read either an
 "acquaintance" or a "stranger" rape depiction, or to read control
 materials. Ss who read the rape depictions were then given a rape
 debriefing that included a communication about the undesirable
 desensitizing effects of pairing sexual violence with other highly
 explicit and pleasing sexual stimuli.  Half of the Ss who read the
 control materials were also given the rape debriefing. In Phase 2, Ss
 were presented with a number of newspaper articles in which a
 newspaper report of a rape was embedded and asked to give their
 opinions. Results indicate that the rape debriefing generally
 increased Ss' perceptions of pornography as a cause of rape.  Ss in
 the rape debriefing conditions also gave the rapist in the newspaper
 report a higher sentence and saw the rape victim as less responsible
 than did Ss in the control conditions. This latter effect, however,
 occurred only under conditions where Ss had earlier been exposed to
 an example of a rape depiction that was relevant to both the rape
 myths discussed in the rape debriefing and the newspaper report of
 the rape. (24 ref) (PsycLIT Database Copyright 1985 American
 Psychological Assn, all rights reserve

Pornography and social science research:  . . .higher moralities.
Zillmann,-Dolf; Bryant,-Jennings, Indiana U
Journal-of-Communication; 1983 Fal Vol 33(4) 111-114
AB: Responds to comments by L. Gross (see PA, Vol 71:23017)
 concerning the present authors' (see PA, Vol 70:1038) study on
 pornography, which found that massive exposure to pornography
 results in a loss of compassion for female rape victims and
 women in general. The present authors provide sources for
 information on their debriefing procedures and address the
 issues of possible damage to research Ss and the contamination
 of results because Ss may have talked about their experience in
 the study with others.

Pornography and social science research: Serious questions. . . .
Gross,-Larry, U Pennsylvania
Journal-of-Communication; 1983 Fal Vol 33(4) 107-111

AB: Contends that D. Zillmann and J. Bryant's (see PA, Vol
70:1038) study on pornography, which found that massive exposure to
 pornography resulted in a loss of compassion toward women as rape
 victims and toward women in general, cannot be taken at face value
 because information on how the research was conducted is lacking. In
 addition, according to the present author, the research raises serious
 questions of ethics concerning experimental procedures and conditions
 and "damage" to the Ss that the researchers did not address.

Exposure to pornography, permissive and nonpermissive cues, and
male aggression toward females.
Leonard,-Kenneth-E.; Taylor,-Stuart-P.
U Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Inst & Clinic
Motivation-and-Emotion; 1983 Sep Vol 7(3) 291-299
AB: 40 male undergraduates viewed either neutral slides with a silent
 female or erotic slides with a female who made permissive,
 nonpermissive, or no comments about the slides. Ss rated the slides and
 subsequently rated the female confederate. Ss were then given an
 opportunity to administer their choice of several intensities of
 shock to the female in a competitive RT task. Ss in the permissive cues
 condition rated the erotic slides as more arousing, saw the female as
 more reasonable and accepting, and selected more intense shocks for the
 female than did Ss in the other conditions. One explanation of these
 results is that permissive cues in the presence of erotica led the S
 to believe that other normally inappropriate behaviors would be
 tolerated.

Pornography, sexual callousness, and the trivialization of rape.
Zillmann,-Dolf; Bryant,-Jennings
Indiana U, Inst for Communication Research, Bloomington
Journal-of-Communication; 1982 Fal Vol 32(4) 10-21
AB: Studied the effect of pornography on perceptions of sexuality and
 behavioral dispositions toward sex and gender. 160 male and female
 undergraduates were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions in which exposure to
 pornography was massive, intermediate, or nil. Ss were tested for
 habituation effects, perceptions of sexuality, and dispositions
 concerning sex and gender. A control group was tested with no prior
 exposure to pornographic materials. Results show that numerous
 persisting perceptual and dispositional changes concerning sexuality,
 especially female sexuality, were recorded during the 3rd wk after the
 exposure treatment. Findings show that massive exposure to standard
 pornography resulted in a loss of compassion toward women as rape
 victims and toward women in general.

Effects of erotica on retaliatory behavior as a function of level
of prior provocation.
Ramirez,-John; Bryant,-Jennings; Zillmann,-Dolf
Indiana U, Inst for Communication Research, Bloomington
Journal-of-Personality-and-Social-Psychology; 1982 Nov Vol 43(5) 971-978
AB: 72 male undergraduates were mildly or severely provoked by the
 experiments; exposed to nonerotic, suggestive, or explicitly erotic
 stimuli; and then provided with an opportunity to treat their provoker
 in a hostile manner. The effect of exposure to suggestive erotica
 interacted with degree of provocation. Exposure to such erotica
 significantly reduced hostile behavior under conditions of mild
 provocation, but it had no appreciable effect under conditions of
 severe provocation. In contrast, exposure to explicit erotica
 significantly increased hostile behavior, and this effect did not
 reliably interact with degree of provocation. There was some indication,
 however, that the hostility-enhancing effect of exposure to explicit
 erotica was strongest under conditions of severe provocation. (

Exposure to pornography and aggression toward women: The case of the
 angry male.
Gray,-Susan-H.
Fordham U, Lincoln Ctr Campus
Social-Problems; 1982 Apr Vol 29(4) 387-398
AB: Reviews research since 1970 on the effects of pornography on men's
 treatment of and underlying attitudes toward women. There is little
 evidence that exposure to hard-core pornography produces aggressive
 behavior in men. However, levels of aggression in already angered men
 are increased by exposure to hard-core materials. Research on the
 long-term effects of exposure to pornography and the difference between
 laboratory-induced anger and deeper anger that is a product of
 psychosexual development are discussed. It is concluded that anger is a
 greater social problem than pornography, particularly in men who are
 unable to resolve it or distinguish it from sexual arousal and control
 over women.

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