%0 Journal Article
%T Aggression Toward Sexualized Women Is Mediated by Decreased Perceptions of Humanness
%A Erika L. Ruddick
%A Gordon Hodson
%A Justin M. Carr¨¦
%A Steven Arnocky
%A Taylor-Rae C£¿t¨¦
%A Triana L. Ortiz
%A Valentina Proietti
%J Psychological Science
%@ 1467-9280
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0956797619836106
%X Researchers have argued that the regulation of female sexuality is a major catalyst for women¡¯s intrasexual aggression. The present research examined whether women behave more aggressively toward a sexualized woman and whether this is explained by lower ratings of the target¡¯s humanness. Results showed that women rated another woman lower on uniquely human personality traits when she was dressed in a sexualized (vs. conventional) manner. Lower humanness ratings subsequently predicted increased aggression toward her in a behavioral measure of aggression. This effect was moderated by trait intrasexual competitiveness; lower humanness ratings translated into more aggression, but only for women scoring relatively high on intrasexual competition. Follow-up studies revealed that the effect of sexualized appearance on perceived humanness was not due to the atypicality of the clothing in a university setting. The current project reveals a novel psychological mechanism through which interacting with a sexualized woman promotes aggressive behavior toward her
%K women¡¯s intrasexual competition
%K aggression
%K dehumanization
%K open data
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797619836106