Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A cognitive priming/spreading activation frame and a lexical decision task paradigm were employed to understand the effects of playing a sexually explicit video game with female “objectification” content on male players. Men who played the sexually explicit video game recognized words with sexual connotations and words describing women as sex objects more quickly than did men in the control conditions. Men who played the sexually explicit game also displayed an increased tendency to engage in sexual harassment compared to men who played non-sexual video games. The anticipated interaction between sex-typing and the sexually explicit video game condition was not found. Overall, the study provides strong empirical evidence that a sexually explicit video game with themes of female “objectification” may prime thoughts related to sex, encourage men to view women as sex objects, and increase the likelihood of self reported tendencies to behave inappropriately toward women in social situations.