In the first published study to examine the effect of explicitness on memory for commercial messages, researchers at Iowa State University have found that viewers of programs with explicit or rough content were less likely to remember commercials immediately after exposure and even 24 hours later. The findings appear in the June issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Applied Psychology.

In an experiment involving 324 adults, psychologist Brad J. Bushman, Ph.D., and Angelica M. Bonacci of Iowa State University randomly assigned the participants to watch a violent, explicit, or neutral television program. The age distribution of the participants was 18 to 54 years old and was representative of the age distribution of adults the same age in U.S. TV households. Each program contained nine ads for products with broad market appeal, such as soft drinks, cereal and laundry detergent. Immediately after viewing the TV program, the participants were given a surprise test in which they tried to recall the brand names in the commercial messages. The next day the participants were contacted by telephone and were again asked to recall the advertised brands.

Results show those participants who saw the ads during a neutral program (no untoward content) had better memory of the products advertised than did participants who saw the ads during a sensual or rough program, both immediately after exposure and 24 hours later. The aggressive and edgy content impaired memory for both males and females of all ages, regardless of whether they liked such programs. The results replicate findings of previous studies by Dr. Bushman and other researchers that looked at the effect of violent content on memory for commercial messages, but this is the first published study that also included the effects of televised sensuality on TV ad messages, say the authors.

One possible reason why certain content impairs memory for commercials," according to Dr. Bushman, is because people pay attention to such things, thus reducing the amount of attention they can pay to the commercials. Another possibility is that such content prompts thoughts apart from the commercials, could reduce commercial memory. More research in this area is needed before a definitive answer can be given on what is driving this effect, said Bushman.

There is emerging literature demonstrating that explicit media promote callousness, cynical attitudes about love and marriage, and perceptions that promiscuity is the norm, say the study authors. The authors believe their research may deter advertisers from advertising on certain types of programming. It is unlikely that moral appeals from parents and other concerned citizens will influence the TV industry to reduce the amount of such material on television. The bottom line - profits - actually determines what programs are shown on television. If advertisers refused to sponsor them, rough and explicit TV programs would be extinct, according to the authors.