Experimental Effects of Exposure to Pornography: The Moderating Effect of Personality.

Introduction. The present research seeks to pinpoint individuals susceptible to adverse effects of exposure to pornography on attitudes supporting violence against women in a design that enables causal conclusions. Aim. Using a representative sample of young Danish adults 18-30 years of age, the study aims to investigate if a theoretically relevant personality dimension, specifically Agreeableness, moderates the relationship between exposure to pornography and ASV. Main Outcome Measures. Attitudes supporting violence against women as measured by a composite z-score of the Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence Scale and the Rape Myth Acceptance scale. Methods. Using a randomized experimental design, participants were exposed to either neutral stimuli (control group) or pornography (experimental group). Past and following exposure subjects were asked to complete questionnaires related to background, personality, pornography consumption, and outcome measures. Results. The results show a significant moderating effect of Agreeableness on the relationship between pornography and attitudes supporting violence: Participants low in Agreeableness exposed to pornography had significantly higher attitudes than other groups. Conclusion. The results help explain the diverse findings on the effects of pornography by demonstrating an "adding fuel on the fire" effect of exposure. They show that it is confluence of being low in Agreeableness and being exposed to pornography that results in higher attitudes supporting violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]