Neural indicators of sexual objectification: an examination of the late positive potential (LPP), sexual objectification, and the body-inversion effect

In Western cultures, sexualized women are frequently viewed as if they were objects rather than people (i.e., dehumanized). Researchers have reported an inversion effect in which images of sexualized men were more accurately identified in an upright (vs. inverted) position (person-like recognition), whereas images of sexualized women were equally recognized across both inverted and upright positions (object-like recognition). The current study (N = 37) conceptually adds to these findings by examining a neural indicator - the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential that tracks attention to relevant stimuli. We expected and found that inverted stimuli elicited a greater LPP overall, consistent with more effortful processing. Moreover, a greater LPP for inverted (vs. upright) male targets was associated with poorer accuracy, whereas no LPP-accuracy association was observed for female targets; this LPP pattern across males and females is consistent with perceiving females in a dehumanizing manner. The results also suggest that hostile sexist attitudes are associated with dehumanizing female images, that is, participants viewed women via an analytical processing-style characteristic of object-perception. However, the examination of ambivalent sexism was exploratory and future research is needed to clarify the findings. The current study adds to the self-objectification and sexism literature.