1
Q
What is the general perceptions of sexual media & youth?
A
-sexual media is bad for youth
2
Q
What is sexual media?
A
- broad -any representation of sex or sexual themes
- sexual behaviour
- suggestions of ^
- sexual talk
3
Q
What is wrong with our definitions of sexual behaviour?
A
- very broad -like innuendos or hand holding or kissing could all count
- it differs depending on the study - no consistency
4
Q
What is a better concept to define sexual content?
A
- continuum
- flirty/talking on one end & sexually explicit media on the other
- but where is the line between sexual intercourse & sexually explicit? -hard to find
5
Q
How much sexual content do teens consume in TV?
A
- 70-80% of mainstream contains sexual content (similar for teen content, but less in tween)
- (sexual talk more common) -only 11% demonstrate sex intercourse
6
Q
What genres of TV have higher sexual content? Which has lower?
A
Higher:
-dramas/sitcoms
Lower:
-reality and children’s cartoons (check reality?/)
7
Q
How much sexual content in movies?
A
80% of movies has sexual content
-65% of G (but that includes kissing & hand holding)
8
Q
How much sexual content in music?
A
- 40% of lyrics directed to teens have it
- 60-80% of music videos contain sexual imagery
9
Q
What messages are (and are not) conveyed w/ sexual content in media?
A
- risks & responsibility (youth often doesn’t include ^)
- heterosexual script
- messages that sexual behaviour is slightly more associated w/ negative consequences (emotionally)
10
Q
What can be 2 impacts of sexual media?
A
- sexual socialization
- sexualization
11
Q
What is sexual socialization?
A
- process by which our sexual knowledge, values, attitudes, and behaviours develop
- influenced by more than biology -it’s peers, parents, culture, media
- third-person effect
12
Q
What is sexualization? (& the 4 criteria)
A
- making something that isn’t sexual into something that is
- Am Psyc Assoc
- 1) a person’s value comes from sexual appeal/behaviour
- 2) held to standard that attractiveness = sexy
- 3) person made into a ‘thing’ for sexual use - sexual objectification
- 4) sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon someone (common w/ youth)
- diff from self-motivated
13
Q
What is third-person effects w/ sexual media?
A
-teens think that media is impacts sexual development for others but not themselves
14
Q
List the Theories that can be used for sexual media?
A
1) Social Cognition Theory
2) Cultivation Theory
3) Sexual Scripts Theory
4) Media Practice Model
15
Q
How does Social Cognition theory relate to sexual media?
A
- social learning -Bandura
- media consumers will observe and model sexual behaviour -learn which are appropriate -rewarded vs. punished
- differences in who & what we model (more likely to model someone similar to us & who has other positive traits)
16
Q
How does Cultivation Theory relate to sexual media?
A
- long-term consumption -repeated amount will shape our beliefs or attitudes
- heavy consumption more likely to be shaped
- see it more as reality -oh everyone’s having sex at 16 when only half are
17
Q
How does Sexual Scripts Theory relate to sexual media?
A
- sexuality & sexual behaviour determined by scripts used to organize & understand sexual encounters
- stereotyped patterns of expectations
- cultural scenarios, interpersonal scripts, intrapsychic scripts
18
Q
What are the 3 factors that influence our scripts? (& describe)
A
1) cultural scenarios
- norms/values -ex. men want sex, women want love -how expected to behave -(can diverge) -affect behaviour through interpersonal
2) interpersonal
- how we believe we should act -how I am going to act
3) intrapsychic scripts
- own individual motivations - personal behaviours
* all work together
19
Q
What is Media Practice Model? & how does it differ?
A
- other theories are general -this is individualized -why we select and engage matters -media use is active
- your sense of self, identity & lived experience contributes
- teens - identity development is active -media impacts identity, identity impacts media
- choose media that looks like us -believable -relevant -level of engagements, whether mimic or not
- ** see slide image
20
Q
Does sexual content impact us?
A
- there is reason to think so
- but research is limited
21
Q
Why is sexual research hard to do?
A
- ethics
- how measuring sexual behaviours?
- most correlational & survey based
- age - not a lot w/ younger
22
Q
What is sexual cognitions?
A
- how you think about sex
- greater # correlated w/ more permissive attitudes, assumptions, thought of fewer consequences, sexualization beliefs
- many research focuses on negative effects of sexual thoughts/content
- but can have positive effect on learning
23
Q
What are teens/YA who consume greater amount of sexual media correlated w/ (cognition-wise)?
A
-more permissive attitudes, more accepting, more positive towards it
-think more friends are engaging in it
-think of fewer neg consequences
-belief of women as sex objects
(-differences in sexual beliefs)
24
Q
What did the Friends study find?
A
- episode where Rachel gets pregnant -tells Ross condoms are 100% effective -he’s shocked -teen viewers after episode aired -12-17yr olds -10% said they learned, 10% talked to an adult about condom use -viewers were more likely to rate condoms effectively
- (a lot out of pop)
25
How does consuming more correlate w/ sexual behaviour? Limitations?
-greater likelihood of engaging in sex behave
-more sex partners
-starting sex behav earlier (age)
(-correlational, not causation -3rd variable?
-longitudinal can predict?)
26
What is a longitudinal study on sexual media and sexual behaviours? (the name)
-Brown et al
27
Summarize Brown
- if exposed early on -predict differences in sex behav?
- included race
- 1017 -7 & 8th graders North Carolina -black & white
- survey on sex media diet (movies, TV, Music, & Mags) -(not social media or internet)
- then followed up 2yrs later -those w/ higher diet were 2.2x more likely to engage in more sex behavs & earlier -range of behavs (pre-coital & age at first sexual intercourse)
- white youth -high consumption -higher likelihood of engaging in sex intercourse (& earlier) consistent pattern
- black youth - not consistent/significant -no diff btw medium or high
- having a heavy sexual media diet in preteen yrs predicts likelihood of engaging in sex behav (& earlier) for white youth
- limitations = self-report -(gender diff in reporting) -could be other factors for black youth -hard to measure pubertal development -not nationally representative -bias (same area, similar thoughts)
- didn't analyze internet
* **
28
Overall what does research find when it comes to sexual media?
-sexual media consumption is correlated w/ & predicts sexual behaviour -but there are other factors
29
What are other factors that might influence sexual media diet relating to sexual behaviour?
- race -higher baseline? less representation, social factors, family, gender w/in race (black women hypersexualized), comfort level in self-reporting (w/ white researcher)
- gender -mixed findings
- age -more impact on sex behav in early adolescence than later
- how we consume/why -more influence when view realistic, or for active motivations
30
Why be concerned w/ sexual media impacting teens?
- could increase likelihood of risky behaviour
- (sex is normal part of development, not a negative -but risky behav is)
- Mixed findings on if impacts risky behaviour!
31
is there a correlation btw sexual media diet & STIs & unprotected sex?
- mixed findings -less consistent
| - can't concretely say yes
32
Limitations in research on sexual media?
- correlational
- how do we define sex media & consumption?
- focus on sexual risks, not satisfaction
- lack of diversity (race, culture, orientation/identity)
33
LGBTQIA+ representations in TV?
- until 70s/80s -no rep -now steadily increasing
- 2020 -10% (yr before was 8%) of characters on prime time identified as lgbtq+
- also in kid programming
- before portrayed as sexless (ex. modern fam) or hypersexualized -now have similar amount of sex talk/behav as others
- often 1D -the funny one or they're defined by sexual orientation
34
LGBTQIA+ representations in print media?
-magazines typically heterosexuality -implicit & explicit -in writing
35
How do LGBTQIA+ individuals use sexual media? Impact of LGBTQ+ representations?
- source of learning
- get info about sex
- 70% use media as main source of info
- identification
- vary depending on portrayal itself -can be validating (successful, depth, support, increased commitment w/ sexual identity, improved well being for queer youth)
- but can also be demeaning, negative, reinforcing heteronormative script)
36
What is impact of queer representations on straight/non-queer?
-seeing reps linked w/ more accepting views
37
Describe the study about queer characters on nonqueer viewers
- ranked individuals exposure to gay characters -correlated w/ endorsement of gay equality
- does vary depending on in person queer contact (if have few, impact is stronger)
- but generally, for all, more exposure is linked w/ increase
- *might differ depending on sex or religion or age
38
What is intergroup contact theory?
-stereotyping and discrimination can be reduced when individuals from diff social groups have contact -face-to-face
39
What is parasocial contact hypothesis?
media consumers can form relationships w/ media characters, which may have similar effects on stereotyping and discrimination as intergroup contact theory
-(*parasocial contact hypothesis comes from intergroup contact theory)
40
Is there enough LGBTQIA+ & sexual media research?
- no
- most focused on young adults (not children or adolescents)
- need more on individual factors like ethnicity, culture, gender, etc
41
How do we distinguish pornography from other sexually explicit material?
- direct depictions of sexual activities
- genitals are unconcealed -penetration may be visible -intended to arouse -distinct from nudity (vs. nude but not arousal or arousal but doesn't show stuff)
* but define arousal -is that part of entertainment?
42
Why might the impacts of sexually-explicit media be distinct?
- different reasons for consuming?
- emotions left out?
- consuming accidentally, intentionally?
- context?
- real or idealized?
- think of it as fictional?
- * definition might imply the effects would be different
43
What might be another difference in how we draw the line between explicit and porn?
- cultural differences
- most research comes from N.Am. & Netherlands (more lax) -leaves out rest of world
- laws are diff
- hard to compare cross-culturally
44
What % of teens are exposed to porn? Is it used?
- 7-98% exposed (but how being measured?)
| - quite well used
45
Teen intentional exposure to porn? %
7-59%
46
Teen unintentional exposure to porn? %
19-84%
| more common to encounter unintentionally than intentionally
47
What individual factors make it more prevalent for a teen to encounter porn?
- men/boys -search it more & repeat
- pubertally more advanced
- individuals high in sensation seeking
- weak or troubled family relationships
48
Is impact of porn good or bad?
- can be both
| - most research focuses on negative (or 'sex is bad')
49
What are the negative impacts of porn?
- correlational
- permissive attitudes, casual sex, likelihood of engaging
- mixed about increase likelihood of risky sex
- linked w/ gender-stereotyped sexual beliefs
- correlated w/ more sexual aggression
- more sexual victimization (particularly girls more likely to be)
50
What are the positive impacts of porn?
- source of info (but also how is the sex being presented? stereotyped/ Accurate?) -particulalru for queer youth
- (otherwise learn from parents (common for girls), peers (might not be accurate), also edu lacking in schools & for queer youth)
- consumption of porn linked w/ more accurate knowledge
- recognizing and confirming sexual identity
- mixed: consuming porn linked/ higher sexual satisfaction (gender, orientation, context)
51
So overall what does the research say about porn?
- research is messy & complicated -effects not always consistent
- can't make causal conclusions
- differences in porn
- big individual differences (emotional states)
- subjective to biases (cultures, participants, ie who are the ppl who sign up?)
52
What is one of the biggest predictors for teen to engage in sex?
-if they think their friends are having sex
53
If teen dramas/TV show negative or positive consequences what are they most likely to be?
emotional or social
54
Is sexual behaviour more associated w/ positive or negative outcomes?
-slightly more negative
55
What is the heterosexual script?
- gendered sexual behaviour
- men pursue sex; sex as a defining aspect of masculinity
- women are pursued; women as sex objects
