Abstract
This study addresses the distinction made in some feminist literature between “erotic” and “pornographic” materials. Specifically, the study was designed to examine the differential effects, if any, of “erotic” and “pornographic” film content and to explore the impact of the conditions under which viewing took place. Forty-eight male university undergraduates rated their perceptions of and their emotional reactions to either “erotic” or “pornographic” film segments. Further-more, participants viewed these film segments in one of three audience conditions: Alone, with another male, or with a female. The “erotic” film segments elicited different perceptual and emotional reactions than the “pornographic” segments. No effect of audience conditions was found. The results of the study provide empirical support for the conceptual distinctions between “erotica” and “pornography.”