Aggressive erotica and violence against women

To examine the effects of aggressive-erotic stimuli on male aggression toward females, 120 male subjects were angered or treated in a neutral manner by a male or female confederate. Subjects were then shown either a neutral, erotic, or aggressive-erotic film and given an opportunity to aggress against the male or female via the delivery of electric shock. Results indicated that the aggressive-erotic film was effective in increasing aggression overall, and it produced the highest increase in aggression against the female. Even nonangered subjects showed an increase in aggression toward the female after viewing the aggressive-erotic film. Results are discussed in terms of the arousal and aggressive cue value of the films.