Facilitating effects of erotica on aggression against women

In order to examine the effects of highly erotic stimuli on aggression against females, male subjects were angered by a male or female confederate and exposed to an erotic film, an aggressive film, or a nonfilm condition. Subjects were given two opportunities to aggress against the confederate. It was found that both the aggressive and the erotic films increased aggression against both targets during the first and second aggression opportunities. However, the erotic film facilitated aggression against the female target across the two aggression sessions. The processes operating to cause this increase are discussed in terms of reducing restraints against aggressive behavior and the specific cue value of erotic films.