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The Effects of Pornographic Context on Working Memory Processing Among Individuals at Risk for Problematic
Xinran Jiang1, Xiaohong Song2, Yushan Wang1
1School of Psychology, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, 610500, China.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|April 15, 2026
Summary
Individuals at risk for problematic pornography use (PPU) show impaired working memory when exposed to sexual cues. This cognitive vulnerability may involve heightened attention to pornography, potentially contributing to PPU.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Behavioral Addiction Research
- Psychology
Background:
- Problematic pornography use (PPU) is increasingly viewed as a behavioral addiction.
- The cognitive mechanisms driving PPU, particularly working memory impairments, are not well understood.
- Pornographic cues may capture attention, diverting cognitive resources and impacting working memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of pornographic distraction on working memory performance.
- To examine the neural correlates of these effects using event-related potentials (ERPs).
- To compare individuals at risk for PPU with healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- 68 heterosexual male college students (34 at risk for PPU, 34 controls) completed a 2-back working memory task.
- Participants viewed pornographic, positive, or neutral images as background distractors.
- Behavioral data (reaction time, accuracy) and ERPs (P300 amplitude) were recorded.
Main Results:
- Individuals at risk for PPU showed slower reaction times and lower accuracy with pornographic distractors compared to neutral ones.
- The PPU-risk group exhibited larger P300 amplitudes to pornographic stimuli, indicating increased attentional engagement.
- Response times positively correlated with P300 amplitudes in the pornographic condition, linking neural reactivity to distraction.
Conclusions:
- Pornographic stimuli appear to disrupt working memory processing in individuals with PPU tendencies.
- This disruption may stem from increased attentional allocation towards sexually salient information.
- Such cognitive vulnerabilities could play a role in the development and maintenance of PPU.
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