SEXUALLY VIOLENT MEDIA AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

This proposal contains three sets of studies designed to: (1) examine the
effects of desensitization to filmed violence (particularly violence
against women) on male viewers; (2) develop interventions designed to
counter the effects of exposure to filmed violence against women; and (3)
to examine the adverse mental health effects on female viewers of expossure
to filmed violence against women. Project I consists of three studies.
The first tests whether desensitization to violence will "spill over" into
other contexts, specifically: physical pain cues, domestic violence, child
abuse and other forms of same sex assault among males. The second study
investigates the processes of cognitive and affective change which occur
during prolonged exposure to filmed violence and which may facilitate
aggressive behavior after film exposure. The third study investigates the
possible inhibiting effects of mixed sex viewing of filmed violence against
women and manipulations designed to increase victim empathy. Project II is
built around two intervention studies. The first is a "prebriefing" study
in which subjects take part in an attitude change intervention procedure
and are then be exposed to filmed violence. These subjects will be
compared to others who receive the intervention after the film exposure,
and to several control groups. In the second study subjects who are
relatively high in hostility, psychoticism, power motivation and
self-reported likelihood of raping will undergo an intensive intervention
procedure. Project III contains two studies which use female subjects.
They examine the effect of long-term exposure to violent media on mood
states and self-esteem, fear, victimization measures, willingness to report
crime, and jury decisionmaking. Three types of media depictions will be
investigated with a special emphasis on R-rated, commercially released
material.