Pornography and Sexual Behavior: Do Sexual Attitudes Mediate or Confound?

Abstract

Using four separate national probability metasamples of adults in the United States, two measures of pornography consumption, two measures of sexual attitudes, and two measures of sexual behavior, this article pits two macrotheories on pornography and its behavioral effects against each other in competing, falsifiable hypothesis tests. Specifically, the article compares the libertarian theory of pornography’s hypothesis that sexual attitudes are a confound of the pornography consumption—sexual behavior relationship, with the sexual scripting theory of pornography’s hypothesis that sexual attitudes are a mediator of the pornography consumption—sexual behavior relationship. No evidence was found to support the argument that pornography consumption—sexual behavior relationships are spurious and due to preexisting sexual attitudes. Alternatively, analyses uniformly supported the conceptualization of sexual attitudes as a mediating link between pornography consumption and sexual behavior.

Sexual intercourse activity and activities associated with sexual interaction in Norwegians of different sexual orientations and ages

“…Specifically, having been socialised in a sexually liberated climate could have influenced the individual to develop liberal sexual practices. It is also likely that the openness in the media about sex, and the easy access to pornography on the Internet, have encouraged experimentation with new sexual practices, normalised behaviours, by changing sexual attitudes (Wright, 2020). Furthermore, most participants in this study had their most recent sexual intercourse with a committed partner, and the availability of a committed partner will affect the type of social environment the sex takes place in, and the degree to which those who interact sexually feel safe and self-secure.…”

Pornography, impersonal sex, and sexual aggression: A test of the confluence model in a national probability sample of men in the U.S.

“…In addition to sex drive, calls have been made for the inclusion of common audience attributes that may confound analyses (Vega & Malamuth, 2007). Three commonly proposed confounds in the pornography effects literature are age, education, and ethnicity (Wright, 2020a).…”

Predicting the Willingness to Engage in Non-Consensual Forwarding of Sexts: The Role of Pornography and Instrumental Notions of Sex

“…Furthermore, research has pointed at the possibility that sexual attitudes can also be seen as confounds in the relationship between pornography use and sexual behavior, predicting both higher pornography use as well as the sexual behavior. A recent study comparing a sexual-script-based prediction to a confounding prediction showed that the model looking at sexual attitudes as confounds did not hold and that the prediction of sexual behavior by pornography use remains after controlling for confounds such as sexual attitudes (Wright, 2018). That said, other confounding factors, such as peer norms, family functioning, or personality factors such as hypergender orientations or sensation seeking, may influence both pornography use as well as the willingness to engage in NCFS.…”