TY - JOUR
T1 - Contributions of Sexual Portrayals to Viewers’ Responses to Graphic Horror
AU - Oliver, Mary Beth
N1 - Funding Information:
Mary Beth Oliver (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1991) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her research interests include the social and psychological effectsof the mass media. Thisresearchwassupported by a Small Project Grant and a Creative Match Grant from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Appreciation is extended to the undergraduate students who served as experimenters and to Steve Anderson for his help in the creation of the stimulus materials. This manuscript was accepted for publication in August 1993.
PY - 1994/1
Y1 - 1994/1
N2 - An experiment was conducted to explore the role of sexual portrayals in viewers’ responses to graphic horror. Subjects rated a 10-minute video of a horror film that varied the gender of victim and the sexuality in the portrayal. Sexual portrayals increased viewers’ enjoyment, and particularly so among male subjects and subjects who scored higher on measures of sexual permissiveness. Sexual portrayals also increased physiological arousal during the sexual scenes themselves and during subsequently occurring suspenseful scenes (though not during subsequent portrayals of death). For male subjects, sexual portrayals also increased perceptions that the film was frightening.
AB - An experiment was conducted to explore the role of sexual portrayals in viewers’ responses to graphic horror. Subjects rated a 10-minute video of a horror film that varied the gender of victim and the sexuality in the portrayal. Sexual portrayals increased viewers’ enjoyment, and particularly so among male subjects and subjects who scored higher on measures of sexual permissiveness. Sexual portrayals also increased physiological arousal during the sexual scenes themselves and during subsequently occurring suspenseful scenes (though not during subsequent portrayals of death). For male subjects, sexual portrayals also increased perceptions that the film was frightening.
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U2 - 10.1080/08838159409364242
DO - 10.1080/08838159409364242
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0038256735
SN - 0883-8151
VL - 38
SP - 1
EP - 17
JO - Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media
JF - Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media
IS - 1
ER -