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Concludes that subjects with considerable prior exposure to common, nonviolent pornography preferred to watch uncommon pornography. Male nonstudents preferred it almost exclusively, as did male students to a lesser extent. Females also exhibited this consumption preference, though it was far less pronounced, especially in female students. (JD)

Exposed college students and nonstudents to videotapes of nonviolent pornography or innocuous material. Found consistent impact of pornography consumption on measures examining attitudes toward marriage, cohabitation, and other related issues. Exposure prompted greater acceptance of pre- and extra-marital sex and agreement with the belief that promiscuity is natural; reduced evaluation of marriage and desire to have children. (Author/NB)

Male and female students and nonstudents were exposed to videotapes featuring common, nonviolent pornography or innocuous content. Exposure was in hourly sessions in six consecutive weeks. In the seventh week, subjects participated in an ostensibly unrelated study on societal institutions and personal gratifications. On an especially constructed questionnaire, subjects rated their personal happiness regarding various domains of experience; additionally, they indicated the relative importance of gratifying experiences. Exposure to pornography was without influence on the self-assessment of happiness and satisfaction outside the sexual realm (e.g., satisfaction deriving from professional accomplishments). In contrast, it strongly impacted self-assessment of sexual experience. After consumption of pornography, subjects reported less satisfaction with their intimate partners—specifically, with these partners' affection, physical appearance, sexual curiosity, and sexual performance proper. In addition, subjects assigned increased importance to sex without emotional involvement. These effects were uniform across gender and populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Pornography, Sexual Callousness, and the Trivialization of Rape" by Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant in the Autumn 1982 issue.