Ann Rousseau

Television and Preadolescents’ Objectified Dating Script: Consequences for Self- and Interpersonal Objectification

Sexually objectifying media have been claimed to provide adolescents with heterosexual scripts. The endorsement of such scripts has been linked to negative dating attitudes. Evidence supporting these assumptions in a younger sample is currently lacking. Accordingly, the current cross-sectional study among 727 preadolescents (Mage = 11.57, SD = .52) sought to examine the link between preadolescents’ exposure to sexually objectifying television scripts and self- and interpersonal objectification. A moderated mediation model revealed that exposure to sexually objectifying television scripts was positively related to preadolescents’ endorsement of an objectified dating script. In turn, the endorsement of an objectified dating script caused girls and, to a lesser extent, boys to objectify themselves. No gender differences were found for interpersonal objectification: Boys’ and girls’ endorsement of an objectified dating script was positively related to objectifying notions about girls and women in general.

Preadolescents’ Reliance on and Internalization of Media Appearance Ideals: Triggers and Consequences

The present three-wave panel study (N = 973, X ¯ age = 11.14) sought to advance the current literature on media internalization in preadolescence by examining triggers and consequences related to preadolescents’ media internalization and use of media for appearance information. We sought to examine whether (a) media internalization and use of media for appearance information could be explained by pubertal timing and peer appearance criticism, and (b) such media internalization and use of media for information could foster dysfunctional body image investment. Structural equation analyses showed that early maturation relative to peers and peer appearance criticism predicted preadolescents’ use of media for appearance information and media internalization, 6 months later. Such media use, in turn, predicted preadolescents’ development of dysfunctional appearance beliefs, 6 months later. These results highlight the importance for future studies to examine whether preadolescents’ reliance on appearance media stems from their need to cope with current body concerns.

A Biopsychosocial Model for Understanding Media Internalization and Appearance Dissatisfaction Among Preadolescent Boys and Girls

Sociocultural models emphasize the role of media internalization in preadolescents’ appearance dissatisfaction. The present three-wave panel study sought to examine how biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors jointly contribute to preadolescents’ (N = 973, Mage = 11.15 years) media internalization and appearance dissatisfaction over time. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test a hypothetical model in which media internalization mediated the effect of (a) pubertal timing, (b) media-related conversations with friends, and (c) perceptions of media as a good source of information regarding appearance and attractiveness, on change in appearance satisfaction. The model also examined the protective role of social self-esteem against the internalization of media ideals. For girls, pubertal timing was associated with increases in media internalization over time, directly and indirectly through media information and media-related conversations. For boys, pubertal timing indirectly predicted increases in media internalization over time, through media-related conversations. Media internalization positively predicted body dissatisfaction over time, and vice versa. Social self-esteem did not serve as a buffer against media internalization.

Separating the sex from the object: conceptualizing sexualization and (sexual) objectification in Flemish preteens’ popular television programs

Abstract Media effects research has confirmed that sexualizing media exposure can negatively affect preteens’ body image and sexual development. While there is a link between sexualizing content and adverse outcomes such as self-objectification and body dissatisfaction, an interest in sexual media content is a normal part of healthy sexual development during the preteen years. Hence, research is needed that examines the variety in preteens’ sexual media diet thereby addressing the subtleties involved in sexualizing media. To what extent do sexual content, appearance-related content, sexual objectification, and objectification occur in Flemish preteens’ favorite TV shows? And, how are these different types of content related to gender roles? Seeking to address these questions, this article reports on a quantitative content analysis of 24 episodes from five TV shows popular among Flemish preteens. Drawing on a sample of 465 scenes, results demonstrated that one in five scenes contained sexual behavior, and one in ten contained sexual objectification. Male characters were sexually objectified as often as female characters. Women were more often judged for their appearance, but were also more often shown treating others as objects in a non-sexual way. Results are discussed in light of objectification and social cognitive theory, culminating in suggestions for future research and implications for parents.

The Impact of Sports Magazine Consumption on Mesomorphic Body Standards and Self-Sexualizing Behaviors: A Panel Study of Preadolescent Boys

The present three-wave panel study of 496 preadolescent boys (Mage = 11.36, SD = 1.07) examined the impact of sports magazine consumption on mesomorphic body standards and self-sexualizing behaviors (e.g., drinking shakes in order to gain muscle mass, choosing clothing to show off muscles). Grounded in social cognitive theory, we also examined the moderating role of reward sensitivity. Results revealed that boys who consumed more sports magazines at wave 1 (W1) were more likely to report personal mesomorphic standards and perceived mesomorphic standards for men and boys in general at wave 2 (W2). Additionally, W2 personal mesomorphic standards mediated the relationship between sports magazine consumption at W1 and self-sexualizing behaviors at wave 3. Reward sensitivity moderated the relationship between personal mesomorphic standards and self-sexualizing behaviors.

Motor intention as a trigger for fear of movement-related pain: An experimental cross-US reinstatement study

Using a voluntary joystick movement task with arm movements as conditioned stimuli (CSs) a and a painful electrocutaneous stimulus as an unconditioned stimulus (pain-US), we investigated whether 1) the intention to perform a painful movement would elicit pain-related fear in healthy participants, 2) a non-painful but aversive sound-US (i.e. human scream) could induce cross-US reinstatement. All groups (same-US/different-US/no-US) received acquisition and extinction with the pain-US. During reinstatement, the same-US group received two unsignaled pain-USs, the different-US group received two unsignaled sound-USs and the no-US group did not receive any stimulus presentations. Next, we tested the return of fear (fear and US-expectancy ratings and startle eyeblink responses) in all groups. Uncoupling motor intention and action led to successful inhibition of pain-related fear elicited by merely thinking about a painful movement as compared to previous study results in which motor intention was always coupled with motor action. The different-US group showed a differential cross-US reinstatement effect in the pain-US expectancy ratings. However, this effect failed to materialize in the fear ratings and startle responses. Taken together, we found partial support for the hypothesis that reinstatement experiences might foster the acquisition of new fears rather than reinstating old fears.