Perceptual defense has been described as a process in which the perceptual recognition of threatening or unacceptable stimuli is inhibited as a function of the emotionality of the stimulus input. In the present study 15 male and 15 female undergraduate students were exposed tachistoscopically to neutral stimulus words and critical stimulus words related to, or associated with, aggression. A 2 x 2 analysis of variance revealed that all subjects required a significantly greater number of trials to correctly identify critical stimulus words as compared to neutral stimulus words. In addition, male subjects demonstrated significantly higher perceptual recognition thresholds than did female subjects. The results support the perceptual defense hypothesis that delayed perceptual recognition will occur as a function of exposure to threatening stimuli. The results do not support, and are antithetical to, the hypothesis that female subjects will demonstrate higher recognition thresholds, upon exposure to stimuli associated with aggression, than will male subjects. In interpreting this result, the effects of sex differences in visual-perceptual abilities, a decrease in socialization pressures towards females, and a convergence of sex based differences in child rearing patterns are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/181679 |
| Date | January 1977 |
| Creators | Josephson, Richard Carl |
| Contributors | Poland, Elizabeth Y. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | v, 27 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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