Sexual Stimulation: Effects on Prosocial Behavior

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
20 unprovoked male subjects were exposed to sexual stimulation via two different modalities and their choices of aggressive vs prosocial behavior were compared with those of 20 unprovoked subjects exposed to two different types of control materials. A modification of the Buss aggression machine was used for this purpose. While all groups strongly preferred the prosocial response alternative (indication of correct response as feedback for incorrect responses) over the aggressive one (administration of electric shock as punishment for incorrect responses), sexually aroused subjects made fewer aggressive and more prosocial choices than nonaroused subjects. This finding is clearly consistent with the theoretical proposition that general arousal will facilitate the dominant or prepotent response of the response alternatives available to the subject.

This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit: