The development and psychometric evaluation of the Objectification Perpetration Scale.

Abstract

While the literature has shown that sexually objectifying women leads to negative outcomes for the target and perceiver, measures of objectification perpetration are often adaptations of measures designed to assess targets' self-objectification or reported experiences of objectifying behaviors. In the present article, we introduce the Objectification Perpetration Scale (OPS) that assesses not only men's perpetration of objectifying behaviors directed toward women but also their objectifying cognitions and beliefs. Data from 855 men were collected across two studies. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in the first sample revealed two distinct factors and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the second, independent sample, supported the factor structure of the newly developed 16-item OPS, including: sex-based (10 items) and appearance-based (6 items) objectification perpetration. Supporting its construct validity, scores on the OPS and the subscales were positively associated with scores on other measures of objectification perpetration, measures of sexual violence perpetration, and sexual exchange and misogynistic ideologies. The OPS contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the objectification perpetration phenomenon, including objectification that reduces women to either their sexual appeal or appearance. Public Significance StatementThe present research provides a new tool to assess men's objectification of women through their behaviors, cognitions, and beliefs. This work suggests that men perpetrate sex-based or appearancebased objectification, each of which have distinct connections to sexual violence perpetration and misogynistic attitudes.

Psychology of Women Quarterly: Citation Network Analysis of Its Landscape and Evolution

“…Experimental research connects objectifying a woman with aggressive behavior toward that woman in a lab setting (e.g., Vasquez et al, 2018). Survey research yields positive correlations among sexist attitudes, perpetrating sexual objectification of women, and perpetrating sexual violence (e.g., Gervais et al, 2018;Riemer et al, 2022). There is rich potential in bridging citation silos and connecting knowledge bases to advance feminist analysis across scholarship on sexism, sexual objectification, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence.…”