Sex and Violence on TV: Effects on Ad Memory and Buying Intent
This paper examines Brad J. Bushman's 2005 study, "Violence and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements," published in the American Psychological Society journal. The paper outlines Bushman's primary and supplementary hypotheses — that embedding advertisements within violent or sexual television programs impairs viewers' memory for advertised brands, reduces purchase interest, and lowers coupon-selection likelihood. Drawing on a meta-analysis of 16 studies with 2,474 participants, the paper reviews key independent and dependent variables, statistical findings, and the evolutionary explanation Bushman offers for selective attention. The author ultimately supports Bushman's conclusions, connecting them to broader research on media violence and societal behavior.
- Introduction and Primary Hypothesis: Bushman's hypotheses on ads in violent programs
- Theoretical Background and Evolutionary Explanation: Meta-analysis findings and evolutionary attention model
- Study Design and Variables: Independent, dependent variables and participant sample
- Statistical Results and Findings: F-statistics, recall rates, and buying intentions data
- Conclusions and Critical Reflection: Support for Bushman and media violence link
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly distinguishes between the primary and supplementary hypotheses before moving into methodology and results, giving the reader a logical entry point.
- Accurately reports specific statistical values (F-scores, p-values, and percentage differences), grounding the discussion in the empirical data from Bushman's study.
- Connects empirical findings to an evolutionary theoretical framework, showing an attempt to engage with the underlying explanatory model rather than simply restating results.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates study summarization with critical engagement — a core undergraduate skill in which a student accurately paraphrases a published study's hypotheses, methodology, and results, then adds a brief first-person evaluative stance. The use of in-text APA citations and the inclusion of precise statistical notation (F-statistics and p-values) reflect familiarity with social-science reporting conventions.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by introducing Bushman's hypotheses, then provides theoretical grounding through the meta-analysis and evolutionary attention argument. It proceeds to describe the study's independent and dependent variables and its participant sample, reports the statistical outcomes for violence ratings, sexual arousal, brand recall, recognition, and coupon choice, and closes with a brief critical reflection that endorses Bushman's conclusions and links them to broader media-violence literature.
Introduction and Primary Hypothesis
In "Violence and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements," Brad J. Bushman presents the primary hypothesis of his study: that televised sex and violence impair viewers' memory for advertised products. A supplementary hypothesis further frames the research. Bushman hypothesizes that embedding an advertisement within a program containing sex or violence decreases viewers' likelihood of remembering the advertised brand, reduces their interest in purchasing it, and lowers their probability of selecting a coupon for that brand (Bushman, 2005).
Theoretical Background and Evolutionary Explanation
These hypotheses emerge from a meta-analysis of 16 studies involving 2,474 participants. The analysis revealed that memory for advertised brands was 27% lower when ads were embedded in violent programs compared to non-violent programs. According to Bushman, the most plausible explanation for this memory impairment is that viewers exercise a limited amount of attention when watching television programs.
Research indicates that people tend to pay more attention to violent media than to non-violent media, and more attention to sexual content than to non-sexual content. Bushman frames this tendency from an evolutionary perspective, drawing a parallel to human ancestors who paid closer attention to violence and sexual cues. Those ancestors were more likely to survive and pass on their genes than counterparts who ignored such signals. Applied to modern television viewing, this means that the more attention viewers devote to violent or sexual programming, the less cognitive attention remains available for commercials embedded within those programs (Bushman, 2005).
Study Design and Variables
The study seeks to test whether televised violence and sex influence buying intentions and consumer behavior. The independent variables were exposure to sexual programs, violent programs, and nonviolent/nonsexual (neutral) programs. The dependent variables included viewers' buying intentions, likelihood of remembering the advertised brand, interest in purchasing the brand, and likelihood of selecting a coupon for that brand. The study included 336 participants between the ages of 18 and 54 of both genders (Bushman, 2005).
References
Bushman, B. J. (2005). Violence and sex in television programs do not sell products in advertisements. American Psychological Society, 16(9), 702–708.
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