The ills of modeling variables substantively involved in a causal process as “controls” have been... more The ills of modeling variables substantively involved in a causal process as “controls” have been discussed extensively by social scientists who do not study media. Until recently, Slater was one of the few communication scientists to suggest that media effects scholars engage in overcontrol. Bushman and Anderson have now echoed this concern in the context of a broader treatise on research trends in the media violence literature. The present study responded to Wright’s recent discussion of control variable usage in the pornography literature. Specifically, using a national probability sample of approximately 1,900 U.S. adults, the present study assessed whether multiple demographic variables routinely modeled as controls in the pornography effects literature may be better conceptualized as initiating predictors. Results were inconsistent with the confounding approach but consistent with the hypothesis that individual differences predict cognitive response states that increase or decrease the likelihood of media effects.
Boy’s Love (BL) stories are a fictional fantasy textual story that describes a romantic relations... more Boy’s Love (BL) stories are a fictional fantasy textual story that describes a romantic relationship between men. Previous qualitative studies claimed that BL stories have depicted androgynous characters and egalitarian love relationships. The current study undertook a quantitative content analysis of 87 randomly sampled popular Chinese BL stories. Our coding system for coding both the masculinity and femininity of each main character in the selected BL stories was developed based on several previous studies. Gay male characters in BL stories were depicted as either similar to traditional masculine men (i.e., scoring high in masculinity and low in femininity) or similar to traditional feminine women (i.e., scoring high in femininity and low in masculinity). In the romantic relationships, BL stories typically paired a masculine character with a feminine character. In addition, heterosexual romantic ideals were prevalent in BL stories. Such an analysis challenges the previous analysis of BL stories. It suggests that heteronormative gender stereotypes exist in BL stories, even if these stories depict gay male characters and romantic relationships. These findings have important implications for understanding media effects in stereotypes toward gay men in contemporary Chinese society. It also encourages further research on alternative explanations for women’s motivation in reading and writing BL stories.
Abstract Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual object... more Abstract Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual objectification leads to the expression of aggressive attitudes and behaviors toward women. Based on a survey study of 320 male participants, this study re-conceptualizes sexual objectification in terms of two forms of dehumanization. Evidence suggests men’s pornography use is positively associated with both forms, but mechanistic dehumanization of women is more associated with aggressive attitudes while animalistic dehumanization is more associated with aggressive behaviors. Findings indicate how objectifying pornography use may relate to aggressive attitudes and behaviors and inform the future education campaigns and interventions to reduce sexual aggression.
This study examined U.S. adolescents' pornography consumption, pornography dependency, and be... more This study examined U.S. adolescents' pornography consumption, pornography dependency, and belief in a variety of notions contradicted by basic sexological science. Data were from 595 youth aged 14–18 who participated in a population-based probability survey. Consistent with the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (<sub>3</sub>AM) of sexual media socialization, adolescents who had viewed pornography were more likely to hold erroneous sexual beliefs than adolescents who had not viewed pornography. Also consistent with the <sub>3</sub>AM, more frequent pornography consumption and higher levels of pornography dependency were independently associated with holding erroneous beliefs about sex among pornography consumers. Counter to theoretical expectations, frequency of pornography consumption did not interact with pornography dependency in the prediction of erroneous sexual beliefs.
First, let us dispel one unseemly insinuation made by McCleary and Meeker (2006) in their respons... more First, let us dispel one unseemly insinuation made by McCleary and Meeker (2006) in their response to our article—the notion that because this research was conducted as part of a lawsuit, it is not to be trusted and perhaps not even published, due presumably to some form of conflict of interest. McCleary and Meeker, previously employed by the government of San Diego, are concerned that our research has been funded by plaintiffs bringing a lawsuit against the city. In this suit, the plaintiffs alleged that their right of freedom of speech regarding sexual matters had been abridged in violation of the First Amendment. The research reported in our article was funded by plaintiffs as part of this lawsuit and this is acknowledged. It is agreed among ethicists involved in research of all types that alleged conflicts of interest must be assessed
BACKGROUND Convenience sample data indicate that substantial portions of adults have engaged in s... more BACKGROUND Convenience sample data indicate that substantial portions of adults have engaged in sexual behaviors sometimes described as rough; little is known about these behaviors at the population level. AIM To describe, in a U.S. probability sample of Americans aged 18 to 60 years, (i) the prevalence of diverse sexual behaviors, described here as dominant and target behaviors; (ii) the age at first pornography exposure as well as prevalence, range, and frequency of pornography use; (iii) the association between past year pornography use frequency and dominant/target sexual behaviors; and (iv) associations between lifetime range of pornography use and dominant/target sexual behaviors. METHODS A confidential cross-sectional online survey was used in this study. OUTCOMES Lifetime engagement in dominant behaviors (eg, spanking, choking, name calling, performing aggressive fellatio, facial ejaculation, penile-anal penetration without first asking/discussing) and lifetime engagement in target behaviors (eg, being spanked, being choked, being called names during sex, having their face ejaculated on, receiving aggressive fellatio, or receiving penile-anal penetration without having discussed) were assessed; lifetime pornography use, age at first porn exposure, past-year frequency of porn viewing, and lifetime range of pornography were also assessed. RESULTS Women as well as men who have sex with men were more likely to report target sexual behaviors: having been choked (21.4% women), having one's face ejaculated on (32.3% women, 52.7% men who have sex with men), and aggressive fellatio (34.0% women). Lifetime pornography use was reported by most respondents. After adjusting for age, age at first porn exposure, and current relationship status, the associations between pornography use and sexual behaviors was statistically significant. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Clinicians need to be aware of recent potential shifts in sexual behaviors, particularly those such as choking that may lead to harm. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS Strengths include U.S. probability sampling to provide population level estimates and the use of Internet-based data collection on sensitive topics. We were limited by a lack of detail and context related to understanding the diverse sexual behaviors assessed. CONCLUSION Clinicians, educators, and researchers have unique and important roles to play in continued understanding of these sexual behaviors in the contemporary United States. Herbenick D, Fu T-C, Wright P, et al. Diverse Sexual Behaviors and Pornography Use: Findings From a Nationally Representative Probability Survey of Americans Aged 14 to 60 Years. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX-XXX.
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television ... more ... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one&amp;#x27;s own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot forestall the influence of that content on other children. ...
... Shim and Paul/PERSONALITY AND TV GENRE USE 299 Page 14. ... An appropri-ate translation of th... more ... Shim and Paul/PERSONALITY AND TV GENRE USE 299 Page 14. ... An appropri-ate translation of the personality questionnaire should be verified by a back-translation under the context of the foreign culture (Alexopoulos &amp; Kalaitzidis, 2004). ...
The interactive, multimedia nature of the Internet makes it a potentially invaluable resource for... more The interactive, multimedia nature of the Internet makes it a potentially invaluable resource for adolescents. These same characteristics also mean that the Internet could be a potentially hazardous medium for certain members of this age group. Although the Internet allows adolescents access to an unprecedented amount of content in an endless number of areas, it also allows them access to content that many parents and caregivers find particularly objectionable. This article addresses several primary benefits and potential hazards associated with adolescent Internet use. It describes general trends in adolescent Internet use and considers how the medium allows individuals to extend their social networks and create new ones. Several ideas for maximizing the potential benefits and minimizing any potential harms are presented.
While recent meta-analyses have provided answers to a number of historically contentious debates ... more While recent meta-analyses have provided answers to a number of historically contentious debates about correlates of pornography use, several questions remain unanswered. Whether pornography is associated with sexual functioning is one such question. Informed by theorizing on sexual scripting, social comparisons, and sexual objectification, the present study examined the possibility that pornography is related to orgasm difficulty through sexual insecurity (i.e., insecurity about one's sexual performance and sexual attractiveness). Data were from the National Survey of Porn Use, Relationships, and Sexual Socialization (NSPRSS), a U.S. population-based probability study. There was an indirect effect of pornography consumption frequency on orgasm difficulty through sexual insecurity. Participants who used pornography more frequently reported higher levels of sexual insecurity, and higher levels of sexual insecurity predicted orgasm difficulty. There was also an indirect effect of ...
Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggress... more Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggression compared to white women. Furthermore, research suggested that the most aggressive depictions occurred between interracial couples. The last content analysis on this topic was published in the 1990s, however. The current study examined 1741 pornographic scenes featuring heterosexual couples (including 118 scenes with black women) from two of the largest online pornographic streaming tube sites in the world (Xvideos.com and Pornhub.com). Findings suggest black women are still more often the target of aggression when compared to white women. In addition, black men are more often portrayed as the perpetrators of aggression against women and are depicted as significantly less intimate with their partners in comparison to white men. Notably, depictions of aggression towards women are highest in scenes featuring black couples compared to all other racial pairings including interracial. Further exploration of the depiction of other sexual behaviors, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex, indicated these behaviors did not vary significantly based on actor’s race.
The ills of modeling variables substantively involved in a causal process as “controls” have been... more The ills of modeling variables substantively involved in a causal process as “controls” have been discussed extensively by social scientists who do not study media. Until recently, Slater was one of the few communication scientists to suggest that media effects scholars engage in overcontrol. Bushman and Anderson have now echoed this concern in the context of a broader treatise on research trends in the media violence literature. The present study responded to Wright’s recent discussion of control variable usage in the pornography literature. Specifically, using a national probability sample of approximately 1,900 U.S. adults, the present study assessed whether multiple demographic variables routinely modeled as controls in the pornography effects literature may be better conceptualized as initiating predictors. Results were inconsistent with the confounding approach but consistent with the hypothesis that individual differences predict cognitive response states that increase or decrease the likelihood of media effects.
Boy’s Love (BL) stories are a fictional fantasy textual story that describes a romantic relations... more Boy’s Love (BL) stories are a fictional fantasy textual story that describes a romantic relationship between men. Previous qualitative studies claimed that BL stories have depicted androgynous characters and egalitarian love relationships. The current study undertook a quantitative content analysis of 87 randomly sampled popular Chinese BL stories. Our coding system for coding both the masculinity and femininity of each main character in the selected BL stories was developed based on several previous studies. Gay male characters in BL stories were depicted as either similar to traditional masculine men (i.e., scoring high in masculinity and low in femininity) or similar to traditional feminine women (i.e., scoring high in femininity and low in masculinity). In the romantic relationships, BL stories typically paired a masculine character with a feminine character. In addition, heterosexual romantic ideals were prevalent in BL stories. Such an analysis challenges the previous analysis of BL stories. It suggests that heteronormative gender stereotypes exist in BL stories, even if these stories depict gay male characters and romantic relationships. These findings have important implications for understanding media effects in stereotypes toward gay men in contemporary Chinese society. It also encourages further research on alternative explanations for women’s motivation in reading and writing BL stories.
Abstract Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual object... more Abstract Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual objectification leads to the expression of aggressive attitudes and behaviors toward women. Based on a survey study of 320 male participants, this study re-conceptualizes sexual objectification in terms of two forms of dehumanization. Evidence suggests men’s pornography use is positively associated with both forms, but mechanistic dehumanization of women is more associated with aggressive attitudes while animalistic dehumanization is more associated with aggressive behaviors. Findings indicate how objectifying pornography use may relate to aggressive attitudes and behaviors and inform the future education campaigns and interventions to reduce sexual aggression.
This study examined U.S. adolescents' pornography consumption, pornography dependency, and be... more This study examined U.S. adolescents' pornography consumption, pornography dependency, and belief in a variety of notions contradicted by basic sexological science. Data were from 595 youth aged 14–18 who participated in a population-based probability survey. Consistent with the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (<sub>3</sub>AM) of sexual media socialization, adolescents who had viewed pornography were more likely to hold erroneous sexual beliefs than adolescents who had not viewed pornography. Also consistent with the <sub>3</sub>AM, more frequent pornography consumption and higher levels of pornography dependency were independently associated with holding erroneous beliefs about sex among pornography consumers. Counter to theoretical expectations, frequency of pornography consumption did not interact with pornography dependency in the prediction of erroneous sexual beliefs.
First, let us dispel one unseemly insinuation made by McCleary and Meeker (2006) in their respons... more First, let us dispel one unseemly insinuation made by McCleary and Meeker (2006) in their response to our article—the notion that because this research was conducted as part of a lawsuit, it is not to be trusted and perhaps not even published, due presumably to some form of conflict of interest. McCleary and Meeker, previously employed by the government of San Diego, are concerned that our research has been funded by plaintiffs bringing a lawsuit against the city. In this suit, the plaintiffs alleged that their right of freedom of speech regarding sexual matters had been abridged in violation of the First Amendment. The research reported in our article was funded by plaintiffs as part of this lawsuit and this is acknowledged. It is agreed among ethicists involved in research of all types that alleged conflicts of interest must be assessed
BACKGROUND Convenience sample data indicate that substantial portions of adults have engaged in s... more BACKGROUND Convenience sample data indicate that substantial portions of adults have engaged in sexual behaviors sometimes described as rough; little is known about these behaviors at the population level. AIM To describe, in a U.S. probability sample of Americans aged 18 to 60 years, (i) the prevalence of diverse sexual behaviors, described here as dominant and target behaviors; (ii) the age at first pornography exposure as well as prevalence, range, and frequency of pornography use; (iii) the association between past year pornography use frequency and dominant/target sexual behaviors; and (iv) associations between lifetime range of pornography use and dominant/target sexual behaviors. METHODS A confidential cross-sectional online survey was used in this study. OUTCOMES Lifetime engagement in dominant behaviors (eg, spanking, choking, name calling, performing aggressive fellatio, facial ejaculation, penile-anal penetration without first asking/discussing) and lifetime engagement in target behaviors (eg, being spanked, being choked, being called names during sex, having their face ejaculated on, receiving aggressive fellatio, or receiving penile-anal penetration without having discussed) were assessed; lifetime pornography use, age at first porn exposure, past-year frequency of porn viewing, and lifetime range of pornography were also assessed. RESULTS Women as well as men who have sex with men were more likely to report target sexual behaviors: having been choked (21.4% women), having one's face ejaculated on (32.3% women, 52.7% men who have sex with men), and aggressive fellatio (34.0% women). Lifetime pornography use was reported by most respondents. After adjusting for age, age at first porn exposure, and current relationship status, the associations between pornography use and sexual behaviors was statistically significant. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Clinicians need to be aware of recent potential shifts in sexual behaviors, particularly those such as choking that may lead to harm. STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS Strengths include U.S. probability sampling to provide population level estimates and the use of Internet-based data collection on sensitive topics. We were limited by a lack of detail and context related to understanding the diverse sexual behaviors assessed. CONCLUSION Clinicians, educators, and researchers have unique and important roles to play in continued understanding of these sexual behaviors in the contemporary United States. Herbenick D, Fu T-C, Wright P, et al. Diverse Sexual Behaviors and Pornography Use: Findings From a Nationally Representative Probability Survey of Americans Aged 14 to 60 Years. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX-XXX.
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television ... more ... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one&amp;#x27;s own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot forestall the influence of that content on other children. ...
... Shim and Paul/PERSONALITY AND TV GENRE USE 299 Page 14. ... An appropri-ate translation of th... more ... Shim and Paul/PERSONALITY AND TV GENRE USE 299 Page 14. ... An appropri-ate translation of the personality questionnaire should be verified by a back-translation under the context of the foreign culture (Alexopoulos &amp; Kalaitzidis, 2004). ...
The interactive, multimedia nature of the Internet makes it a potentially invaluable resource for... more The interactive, multimedia nature of the Internet makes it a potentially invaluable resource for adolescents. These same characteristics also mean that the Internet could be a potentially hazardous medium for certain members of this age group. Although the Internet allows adolescents access to an unprecedented amount of content in an endless number of areas, it also allows them access to content that many parents and caregivers find particularly objectionable. This article addresses several primary benefits and potential hazards associated with adolescent Internet use. It describes general trends in adolescent Internet use and considers how the medium allows individuals to extend their social networks and create new ones. Several ideas for maximizing the potential benefits and minimizing any potential harms are presented.
While recent meta-analyses have provided answers to a number of historically contentious debates ... more While recent meta-analyses have provided answers to a number of historically contentious debates about correlates of pornography use, several questions remain unanswered. Whether pornography is associated with sexual functioning is one such question. Informed by theorizing on sexual scripting, social comparisons, and sexual objectification, the present study examined the possibility that pornography is related to orgasm difficulty through sexual insecurity (i.e., insecurity about one's sexual performance and sexual attractiveness). Data were from the National Survey of Porn Use, Relationships, and Sexual Socialization (NSPRSS), a U.S. population-based probability study. There was an indirect effect of pornography consumption frequency on orgasm difficulty through sexual insecurity. Participants who used pornography more frequently reported higher levels of sexual insecurity, and higher levels of sexual insecurity predicted orgasm difficulty. There was also an indirect effect of ...
Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggress... more Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggression compared to white women. Furthermore, research suggested that the most aggressive depictions occurred between interracial couples. The last content analysis on this topic was published in the 1990s, however. The current study examined 1741 pornographic scenes featuring heterosexual couples (including 118 scenes with black women) from two of the largest online pornographic streaming tube sites in the world (Xvideos.com and Pornhub.com). Findings suggest black women are still more often the target of aggression when compared to white women. In addition, black men are more often portrayed as the perpetrators of aggression against women and are depicted as significantly less intimate with their partners in comparison to white men. Notably, depictions of aggression towards women are highest in scenes featuring black couples compared to all other racial pairings including interracial. Further exploration of the depiction of other sexual behaviors, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex, indicated these behaviors did not vary significantly based on actor’s race.
Uploads
Papers by Bryant Paul