Dolf Zillmann (born March 12, 1935) is dean emeritus, and professor of information sciences, communication and psychology at the University of Alabama (UA).

His work centred on the relation between aggression, emotion, and arousal through media consumption, predominantly in pornography and violent genres of movie and television.

[5] Zillmann's role predominantly involved the practical application of communications research to assist in marketing campaigns for several of the companies it parented, working there from 1959 - 1965.

[15] In 1972, the appointed Surgeon General, Jesse Leonard Steinfeld delivered a report detailing his concern of the effects of violent media on childhood mental health and increased aggressive and anti social behaviour found to be associated with its consumption.

"[15] This concern was reflected in the leading psychological research of the time with Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory providing an experimentally valid association between the consumption of media and aggressive behaviour in children, in what is referred to as his 'Bobo Doll Experiment'.

[16][17] Zillmann's Excitation Theory served to explain the physiological and neurological underpinnings of the Surgeon General's findings whilst also expanding upon the psychological zeitgeist of the time.

[18] Technological advances in the 1980s led to a far more accessible and public distribution of erotic media, leading to large increases in the consumption of pornographic content.

[19] In a study conducted with frequent collaborator Jennings Bryant, Zillmann found an increase in the usage of porn amongst younger age groups, and that the majority of teens and adults had at some point been exposed to pornographic content.

In a 1971 study, pornographic content was found to be more emotionally excitatory in provoking aggressive behaviour than violent television,[11] leading Zillmann to further explore this result.

[20] Prolonged exposure to mainstream pornography depicting heterosexual intercourse in a casual setting led to an increased devaluation of marriage, emotionally invested relationships, childbirth and child rearing.

[22] Instead, the participant's world view is altered through continuous exposure to the narrative constructed by the pornography they watch and as such associate more casual sexual relationships, as more enjoyable and risk-free.

[19] Zillmann states "The perceptual and evaluative changes that were evident in both genders are direct reflections of what can be considered the chief proclamation of pornography: great sexual joy without any attachment, commitment, or responsibility.

In an interview, he states “Our research on the effects of pornography triggered an unimaginable avalanche of hostility from those deeming particular findings inopportune – that is, in conflict with their values regarding sexuality.