Alcohol Myopia, Objectification, and Sexual Assault

The present project integrates previous research on factors associated with alcohol-involved sexual assault, with research on how intoxication alters attention and social perceptions in ways that increase the risk of sexual aggression and victimization. Specifically, this project examines whether alcohol intoxication on the part of a male perpetrator impairs attentional capacity and leads to a narrowing of the perceptual field causing a dehumanizing perspective of women as sexual objects for men's pleasure rather than individuals with thoughts and feelings, thereby increasing the propensity for sexual aggression. The present research also examines whether women's responses to this sexual objectification from men interfere with risk perception in sexual situations, particularly when women are drinking, increasing the likelihood of sexual victimization.

These studies will provide a comprehensive test of our proposed model of alcohol-involved sexual assault that includes situation-specific mechanisms and key moderators of sexual violence. Specifically, hypotheses will be tested in the context of two carefully controlled laboratory studies. In Study 1, laboratory alcohol administration procedures will be used to manipulate intoxication (vs. placebo control) in men. Impaired attention and objectification will then be measured multi-modally including behavioral, self-report, and implicit measures. Finally, sexual aggression will be measured with a laboratory-based analogue of sexual assault. Study 2 will include women and follow the same alcohol administration procedures as Study 1. Additionally, mirroring men's objectification, objectifying gazes (vs. eye gazes) will also be manipulated. Impaired attention, self-objectification, and decreased sexual risk perceptions will then be assessed. Prior the laboratory visit, all participants will complete a battery of questionnaires to assess key moderators including a history of sexual assault perpetration and victimization, prior sexual objectification and self-objectification, as well as alcohol-related sex expectances and rape myth acceptance. The overall model will be analyzed within a conditional process model framework.

Alcohol intoxication, Alcohol use, Drinking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Aggression, Attention, Victimization, Public health

Men and women assigned to moderate alcohol dose condition (target BAC .08%) or placebo control condition with NIAAA approved alcohol administration procedures

After learning that a woman does not like sexual media, male participants choose to show her a sexually explicit video or control video (selection of the sexually explicit video indicates more sexual aggression)

Female participants read 18 vignettes describing a sexual interaction between a man and a woman that gets progressively riskier for sexual assault and indicate when they would leave the interaction (scores range from 1-18 and higher scores indicate worse risk perception)

Male participants wear a portable eye tracker and discuss media preferences with a female confederate while dwell time on the female confederate's face and body is monitored (longer dwell times on the woman's body and shorter dwell times on the woman's face indicate more sexual objectification)

Female participants wear a portable eye tracker and interact with a male confederate in front of a mirror while dwell time on the participant's body is monitored (longer dwell times on the participant's body indicates more self-objectification)

On a computer, male participants sort stimuli words representing the categories object (e.g., tool), human (e.g., person), women (e.g., female), and men (male). Participants must respond as quickly and accurately as possible to categorize the words on a computer screen to object, human, women, and men categories via a computer key press. Responding faster to object and woman words and slower to woman and human words indicates implicit objectification of women

On a computer, female participants sort stimuli words representing the categories object (e.g., tool), human (e.g., person), me (e.g., self), and others (them). Participants must respond as quickly and accurately as possible to categorize the words on a computer screen to object, human, me, and others categories via a computer key press. Responding faster to object and me words and slower to human and me words indicates implicit self-objectification.

Male and female participants self-report how attentive they feel on a 0 to 6 point scale (averaged lower scores indicate more mindful attention awareness)

Male participants self-report how frequently they objectified the female confederate on a 1 to 6 point scale (averaged higher scores indicate more other-objectification)

Female participants self-report how important appearance related attributes (e.g., sex appeal) are important to their self-concept relative to non-appearance attributes (e.g., hobbies) on a 0 to 9 point scale. Appearance attributes and non-appearance attributes are separately summed and non-appearance attribute scores are subtracted from appearance attribute scores (higher scores indicate more self-objectification)

5 minutes pre alcohol or placebo dosing, 5 minutes post alcohol dosing, and 20 minutes post alcohol or placebo dosing

Participants who self-identify as men will participate in Study 1 and participants who self-identify as women will participant in Study 2

Inclusion Criteria: 21-30 years of age at least social drinkers single men attracted to women, women attracted to men Exclusion Criteria: current/past alcohol dependence (as assessed by a score of 8 or higher on the Alcohol Dependence Scale), alcohol-related treatment, or hospitalization due to alcohol use any past serious head injuries (as indicated by HELPS Brain Injury Screening Tool) serious psychological symptoms (defined as past psychotic, paranoid, or bipolar disorders, or current major depression) abstinence from alcohol use a condition or medication use in which alcohol consumption is medically contraindicated any legal restriction against drinking (e.g., as condition of probation or parole) presence of a positive breath alcohol concentration (BAC) upon arrival to the laboratory if the participant is less than six feet tall and weighs over 250 pounds or is over six feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds if a female participant is pregnant

De-identified individual participant data may be shared with other researchers (e.g., posted to the Open Science Framework) to aid with reproducibility and replicability of science.

De-identified data may be made available to interested researchers when papers based on that data are published in scientific journals.