Peer modeling and college men's sexually impositional behavior in the laboratory
Mitchell, D.; Angelone, D.J.; Hirschman, R.; Lilly, R.S.
Journal of sex research 39(4): 326-333
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-4499 PMID: 12545416 DOI: 10.1080/00224490209552157Document Number: 253212
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of peer modeling on sexually impositional behavior in the laboratory. Male participants with and without a self-reported history of sexually aggressive behavior viewed video clips depicting nonaggressive and sexually aggressive behavior and then chose one of the clips to show to a female confederate. Half of the participants were first exposed to a male confederate who showed the sexually aggressive video clip to a female confederate. The other half of the participants were exposed to a male confederate who showed a nonaggressive video clip to a female confederate. Exposure to a male confederate who showed a sexually aggressive video clip to a female was associated with participants choosing to engage in this same behavior. A self-reported history of sexually aggressive behavior was also associated with participants showing the sexually aggressive video clip in spite of believing the effect on the female viewer would be negative.