Abstract: Sexual objectification occurs when a woman’s body, body parts, or sexual functions are separated from her entire person, thus reducing her status to that of a mere instrument, as if this was capable of representing an entire person. Numerous studies have demonstrated that sexual objectification affects the perceptions of others, and this is related to both diminished perceptions of mind and dehumanization. Objectification theory holds that when people are sexually objectified, they are perceived as mere objects that lack the mental states. However, there is no direct evidence showing that diminished social perceptions are affected by sexual objectification. Moreover, previous studies have been primarily conducted with samples of white women. Very few have explored non-Western samples. Therefore, in this study, we aim to examine the effect of sexual objectification on perceptions of intelligence and to explore the existence of sexual objectification in the process of perceptions via eye tracking of Chinese college students. A total of 50 (25 women, 25 men) undergraduates, aged18-24, took part in the study. A 2 (picture type: objectified, non-objectified) × 2 (target gender: male, female) × 2 (participant gender: male, female) mixed model design was utilized. Consistent with previous research, in each objectified photograph, the target wore either a swimsuit or underwear. In each non-objectified photo, the target was fully clothed in a long sleeved t-shirt and dark pants. All images were of people of Chinese nationality, who stood and faced the camera with neutral facial expressions. The participants then rated the intelligence of the person portrayed in each picture. Eye movements were recorded while participants individually viewed and rated the picture with an Eyelink 1000 eye tracker. The results showed that both objectified women and men were attributed with less intelligence than non-objectified targets, which is consistent with previous findings suggesting that sexual objectification is related to diminished perceptions of mental capacity and increased dehumanization. Eye movement tracking showed that the fixation count on chests of objectified targets was significantly higher than on objectified targets. The dwell time and first fixation duration for the faces of objectified targets were both significantly shorter than non-objectified targets. But the dwell time and first fixation duration for the chests of objectified targets were significantly longer than non-objectified targets. These results suggested participants focused more on the chests and less on the faces of the objectified targets, which is consistent with the nature of the objectifying gaze. In conclusion, sexual objectification affected perceptions of the intelligence of both women and men. Moreover, people evidenced an objectifying gaze in the process of making their perceptions. Our finding extended the previous research on Fredrickson and Roberts’s (1997) objectification theory, suggesting that the influence of sexual objectification is not limited only to Western women. Further, we also offered direct evidence for the existence of sexual objectification in the process of making intelligence perceptions. Thus, the findings of the present study have important practical significance and considerable cross-cultural implications.

Key words: sexual objectification, objectifying gaze, person perception, body image

摘要： 客体化理论认为，对女性身体的关注会导致对能力、热情和道德等社会属性评价的降低，然而以往研究缺乏直接证据。本研究以50名大学生为被试，采用眼动仪考察了对泳装图片和非泳装图片人物聪明程度评价过程中的眼动特征，结果发现：相比非泳装图片，被试对泳装图片人物的聪明程度评分更低；相比非泳装图片，被试对泳装图片人物胸部的注视点更多，注视时间和首次注视时间更长，对面孔的注视时间和首次注视时间更短。眼动特征表明，对泳装图片社会感知过程中存在客体化注视，直接且直观地支持了客体化理论。

关键词: 性客体化, 客体化注视, 社会认知, 身体意象