Influence of media on physiological arousal

Abstract

<p>The influence of gender, violent media exposure, sexual media exposure, and sexual attitudes on physiological response to media was examined. A total of 34 participants (16 male and 18 female) were included in the final sample. Participants completed a measure of violent and sexual media exposure and the Beliefs About Preventing AIDS (BAPA) measure. Participants were shown movie clips with varying subject matter while their physiological arousal (heart rate and skin conductance) was recorded. Gender, media exposure, and sexual attitudes were not significant predictors of physiological response to violent and sexual media. Males and females did not differ on any variable except sexual attitudes, with males having significantly more permissive sexual attitudes than females. Contrary to previous research, these results indicate that prior media exposure and sexual attitudes have no relationship to physiological response to media.</p>