Robert S. Tokunaga

Review: Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victimization

More than 97% of youths in the United States are connected to the Internet in some way. An unintended outcome of the Internets pervasive reach is the growing rate of harmful offenses against children and teens. Cyberbullying victimization is one such offense that has recently received a fair amount of attention. The present report synthesizes findings from quantitative research on cyberbullying victimization. An integrative definition for the term cyberbullying is provided, differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying are explained, areas of convergence and divergence are offered, and sampling and/or methodological explanations for the inconsistencies in the literature are considered. About 20-40% of all youths have experienced cyberbullying at least once in their lives. Demographic variables such as age and gender do not appear to predict cyberbullying victimization. Evidence suggests that victimization is associated with serious psychosocial, affective, and academic problems. The report concludes by outlining several areas of concern in cyberbullying research and discusses ways that future research can remedy them.

Activating the Centerfold Syndrome: Recency of Exposure, Sexual Explicitness, Past Exposure to Objectifying Media:

This experimental study tested whether exposure to female centerfold images causes young adult males to believe more strongly in a set of beliefs clinical psychologist Gary Brooks terms “the centerfold syndrome.” The centerfold syndrome consists of five beliefs: voyeurism, sexual reductionism, masculinity validation, trophyism, and nonrelational sex. Past exposure to objectifying media was positively correlated with all five centerfold syndrome beliefs. Recent exposure to centerfolds interacted with past exposure to predict three of the five centerfold syndrome beliefs. Recent exposure to centerfolds had immediate strengthening effects on the sexual reductionism, masculinity validation, and nonrelational sex beliefs of males who view objectifying media less frequently. These effects persisted for approximately 48 hours.

Pornography, Alcohol, and Male Sexual Dominance

This study surveyed German heterosexual mens interest and engagement in a variety of dominant behaviors observed in recent analyses of pornography. Interest in watching popular pornographic movies or more frequent consumption of pornography was associated with mens desire to engage in or having already engaged in behaviors such as hair pulling, spanking a partner hard enough to leave a mark, facial ejaculation, confinement, double-penetration (i.e. penetrating a partners anus or vagina simultaneously with another man), ass-to-mouth (i.e. anally penetrating a partner and then inserting the penis directly into her mouth), penile gagging, facial slapping, choking, and name-calling (e.g. “slut” or “whore”). Consistent with past experimental research on the effect of alcohol and pornography exposure on mens likelihood of sexual coercion, men who had engaged in the most dominant behaviors were those who frequently consumed pornography and regularly consumed alcohol before or during sex.

Perspectives on Internet Addiction, Problematic Internet Use, and Deficient Self-Regulation: Contributions of Communication Research

This chapter reviews the contributions of communication research in the study of Internet addiction, problematic Internet use, and deficient self-regulation. A history of media addictions is presented, with Internet addiction and its later refinements situated in their appropriate historical context. The study of Internet addiction, problematic Internet use, and deficient self-regulation originated from different perspectives, each with its unique implications for research. These perspectives can be understood in the context of Internet habits. This chapter closes with a discussion of key areas for future investigation. Recognizing gaps in the literature forecasts exciting new areas in the study of media habits.

U.S. Adults’ Pornography Viewing and Support for Abortion: A Three-Wave Panel Study

Pornography consumption may affect judgments on a wide range of sexual and reproductive topics. The present study hypothesized that the consistent images projected in pornography affect sexual scripts related to abortion judgments. National, three-wave longitudinal data gathered from U.S. adults were employed to examine associations between earlier pornography consumption and subsequent support for abortion. The findings suggested that prior pornography consumption may lead to later support for abortion. This study provides additional evidence of pornography’s socializing impact, particularly for the older White segment of the population, and adds to knowledge about what environmental factors influence judgments about abortion. Mechanisms that may explain how pornography viewing shapes support for abortion are discussed.

Associative pathways between pornography consumption and reduced sexual satisfaction

ABSTRACT Social and clinical psychologists are increasingly examining the influence of pornography on sexual health outcomes. An important sexual health outcome that some scholars have suggested is influenced by pornography is sexual satisfaction. Guided by sexual script theory, social comparison theory, and informed by prior research on pornography, socialization, and sexual satisfaction, the present survey study of heterosexual adults tested a conceptual model linking more frequent pornography consumption to reduced sexual satisfaction via the perception that pornography is a primary source of sexual information, a preference for pornographic over partnered sexual excitement, and the devaluation of sexual communication. The model was supported by the data for both men and women. Pornography consumption frequency was associated with perceiving pornography as a primary source of sexual information, which was associated with a preference for pornographic over partnered sexual excitement and the devaluation of sexual communication. Preferring pornographic to partnered sexual excitement and devaluing sexual communication were both associated with less sexual satisfaction.

Relational transgressions on social networking sites

Relational transgressions on social networking sites can affect relationships.Relational satisfaction can buffer strain and rules change following transgressions.Low self-esteem can intensify the experience of relational problems.Publicity and network esteem collectively contribute to the interpersonal problems. Social networking sites have demonstrated considerable utility to Internet users who wish to form or maintain interpersonal relationships online, but the qualities of these Internet platforms can also give rise to negative interactions between contacts. Perceptible relational problems, such as strain and changes to relational rules, originate from three commonly experienced transgressions on social networking sites: having a friend request declined or ignored, having a public message or identification tag deleted, and issues related to Top Friends applications. This investigation examines factors that contribute to the experience of relational problems following the three most common relational transgressions over social networking sites. The findings reveal that self-esteem, relational satisfaction, and publicness of the event, moderated by network esteem, affect the magnitude of the relational problems.

Pornography Consumption, Sexual Liberalism, and Support for Abortion in the United States: Aggregate Results from Two National Panel Studies

Abstract Elements of the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of sexual media socialization have been tested in many recent studies. Two core suppositions of the model are in need of further examination, however. The first is the assertion that exposure to sexual media can affect behavioral judgments beyond the specific behaviors that are depicted. The second is the assertion that the mechanism driving this change is a shift in consumers’ sexual scripts. This article probed these arguments within the context of pornography consumption and support for abortion using national panel data from two three-wave surveys conducted in the United States. As hypothesized, pornography consumption at wave one predicted a more a liberal sexual script at wave two, which, in turn, predicted more support for abortion at wave three. Following the reinforcing spirals model (RSM), the relationships between earlier support for abortion, subsequent sexual liberalism, and later pornography consumption were also examined. Supporting the RSM, abortion support was a prospective predictor of greater sexual liberalism, which, in turn, was a prospective predictor of pornography consumption.

Full length articleMoving toward a theory: Testing an integrated model of cyberbullying perpetration, aggression, social skills, and Internet self-efficacy

Research on cyberbullying has been steadily growing among scholars who endeavor to understand when and under what conditions it occurs. This study utilizes general aggression theory to contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the confluence of inputs that goes into decision-making involving cyberbullying perpetration. Young adult college students were surveyed to examine whether person-specific inputs, including trait verbal aggression, Internet self-efficacy, and social skills, contribute to cyberbullying perpetration. Results indicated that verbal aggression was consistently positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Further analysis revealed that the interaction between verbal aggressiveness and social skills on cyberbullying perpetration depended on ones level of Internet self-efficacy. At low levels of Internet self-efficacy, trait aggressiveness and social skills do little to inform cyberbullying perpetration; however, participants with high Internet self-efficacy and high trait verbal aggressiveness are less likely to send hurtful or embarrassing messages over the Internet or mobile technologies as their social skills grow. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed. General aggression theory is useful for explaining, investigating, and advancing cyberbullying scholarship.Trait verbal aggression is consistently positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration.Internet self-efficacy moderates the relationship between verbal aggression and social skill.The interaction of verbal aggressiveness and social skills on cyberbullying perpetration depends on Internet self-efficacy.At low Internet self-efficacy, verbal aggressiveness and social skills do little to predict cyberbullying perpetration.

Moving toward a theory

Research on cyberbullying has been steadily growing among scholars who endeavor to understand when and under what conditions it occurs. This study utilizes general aggression theory to contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the confluence of inputs that goes into decision-making involving cyberbullying perpetration. Young adult college students were surveyed to examine whether person-specific inputs, including trait verbal aggression, Internet self-efficacy, and social skills, contribute to cyberbullying perpetration. Results indicated that verbal aggression was consistently positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Further analysis revealed that the interaction between verbal aggressiveness and social skills on cyberbullying perpetration depended on ones level of Internet self-efficacy. At low levels of Internet self-efficacy, trait aggressiveness and social skills do little to inform cyberbullying perpetration; however, participants with high Internet self-efficacy and high trait verbal aggressiveness are less likely to send hurtful or embarrassing messages over the Internet or mobile technologies as their social skills grow. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed. General aggression theory is useful for explaining, investigating, and advancing cyberbullying scholarship.Trait verbal aggression is consistently positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration.Internet self-efficacy moderates the relationship between verbal aggression and social skill.The interaction of verbal aggressiveness and social skills on cyberbullying perpetration depends on Internet self-efficacy.At low Internet self-efficacy, verbal aggressiveness and social skills do little to predict cyberbullying perpetration.