Examining Third-Person Perceptions in the Context of Sexually Oriented Advertising

Abstract

A limited amount of research has been undertaken to investigate third-person perceptions as persuasion in the context of sexually oriented advertising. This study examined whether sexually oriented advertising and gender differences would yield significant influences on third-person perceptions and whether participants’ sexual cognition would moderate their third-person perceptions. Results showed that sexually oriented advertising, gender differences, and sexual cognition were significant factors that dominated the third-person perceptions. After exposure to sexually oriented advertising, females were led to a stronger degree of the third-person perceptions than males. Moreover, the participants with a more negative level of sexual cognition had a stronger degree of the third-person perceptions than those with a more positive level of sexual cognition after exposure to sexually oriented advertising.