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Researchers have demonstrated associations between use of pornography and sexual objectification of women. We examine whether self-reported preference for degrading pornography moderated the relation between use frequency and sexual objectification of others. Participants were 1,342 heterosexual women and men residing in the United States. In women and men, pornography use frequency was associated with the sexual objectification of others, even after controlling for interest in generally explicit content. In men, interest in degrading pornography content significantly predicted sexual objectification of women. Our results suggest greater pornography use is associated with greater sexual objectification of others, across a variety of content categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rates of pornography consumption in the U.S. are high and increasing. With exploratory aims, this study addresses the questions: What is the association between pornography consumption and liking of sexual behaviors commonly depicted in pornography, and is enjoyment moderated by gender? Sexual scripts theory suggests that increased pornography consumption is associated with increased engagement in pornographic sex acts, but it does not speak to enjoyment of the acts when engaged. The current study seeks to fill that gap. Based on data collected from a larger sample of 1,883 heterosexual men and women (predominantly, 86.6%, college or university students) in the U.S., and comparing correlations between pornography consumption (frequency of use) and reported enjoyment of a range of sexual behaviors by gender using Fisher's z transformations (α value set at <.0025), analysis revealed that pornography consumption, overall, was not significantly correlated with increased enjoyment of the sexual acts that comprise the pornographic sexual script. However, gender was a significant moderating factor in the enjoyment, specifically, of degrading and/or uncommon acts. Male respondents were significantly more likely to report enjoying these acts than their female counterparts. These findings have possible implications for consumers, educators, and mental health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pornographic media characterized by discordant images of sexual pleasure and aggression are increasingly formulating young heterosexual women's sexual scripts. Yet there has been little work done on the downstream role of pornography consumption; how does pornography use relate to heterosexual women's thoughts and feelings during sexual experiences with a partner? Methods: We surveyed 706 heterosexual women (18–29 years of age) in the United States, associating consumption of pornography with sexual preferences, experiences, and concerns. Results: Although most heterosexual women have seen pornography (83%), a little less than half (43.5%) use it for masturbation, half of whom use it one time per month or less. Among female consumers who were sexually active, higher rates of consumption for masturbation were associated with increased mental activation of the pornographic script during sex—heightened recall of pornographic images during sex with a partner, heightened reliance on pornography for achieving and maintaining arousal, and a preference for pornography consumption over sex with a partner. Furthermore, higher activation of the pornographic script during sex, rather than simply viewing pornographic material, was also associated with higher rates of insecurities about their appearance and diminished enjoyment of intimate acts such as kissing or caressing during sex with a partner. Conclusion: These findings suggest that pornography consumption may relate to female consumers' sexual experiences indirectly and indicate that pornographic thoughts during dyadic sexual encounters may not improve heterosexual women's sexual experiences with a partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in-depth interviews with 16 heterosexual men, this study focuses on participants’ meaning-making surrounding a common and controversial sexual act in pornography: ejaculation on a woman’s face (EOWF). We analyze the ways that male consumers decoded EOWF and the ways that EOWF, as a sexual script, was included in the men’s accounts of their sexual desires and practices. The majority of the men decoded EOWF through the preferred (encoded) meaning as an act of male dominance and sexual aggression and that they wanted to engage in it despite their general belief that women would not be interested in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Pornography and the Male Sexual Script: An Analysis of Consumption and Sexual Relations" that was published in the March 29, 2016 is presented.