Understanding College Students' Hook-Up Expectations

1. College Students’ Expectations for Hook-Ups. Amanda Smitley Hanover College

2. Why Study This? • Interest in sex research • Prominent behavior among college students (Paul, 2000)

3. Definition of a Hook-up • A hook-up is a brief sexual encounter between two people who either do not know each other at all, who are just acquainted, or have had a previous non-sexual relationship. The sexual encounter may involve petting, oral sex, and/or sexual intercourse (kissing alone does not constitute a hook-up. (Adjusted Paul 2006, 141)

4. Gender Differences in Sexual Attitudes • 50% of both men and women agreed to take the date • 75% of men said “yes” to the sexual invitation • Not a single woman said “yes” to sex (Clark and Hatfield ,1989)

5. Who Hooks-Up More • Men exhibit more permissive attitudes toward, and greater interest in experiencing, uncommitted sexual activity than do women (Oliver & Hyde, 1993)

6. Motives for Hook-Up • 47% of men -- sexual desire • 29% of women -- sexual desire • 9% of men -- increase in relationship probability • 44% of women -- increase in relationship probability • (Regan and Dreyer,1999) • Different Experiences of Sex • Women traditionally have been known to link love with sex, while men have been known to separate the two (Glass & Wright, 1985)

7. Unexplored Areas • Expectations vs. motives • Motives: drive • Expectations: predictions • Changes after the hook-up • New dimension of hook-up research

8. Research Questions • What are the expectations that college students have about hook-ups? • How do expectations of men and women differ? • Do expectations about the relationship change after a hook-up?

9. Hypotheses • Males will have significantly more hook-ups than females. • Males will expect a pleasurable sexual experience during a hook-up significantly more than females. • Females will expect a romantic relationship to form after the hook-up significantly more than males.

10. Methods…Participants • 66 total • 44 female • Ages 18-29 • M=20.48 • 42 Caucasian • Class Level • 27 Freshman • 14 Sophomore • 11 Junior • 14 Senior

11. Materials • Questionnaire posted on Psychological Research On the Net (Krantz, 2008) • Informed Consent • Demographics • Hook-up history • Hook-up expectations • Changed expectations after hook-ups • Debriefing form

12. Age Sex Class level Ethnicity Religious Affiliation Greek Affiliation Relationship Status Sexual Orientation Demographics

13. Hook-Up History(Example Questions) • Approximately, how many hook-ups have you been involved in since beginning college? • Of the hook-ups you have been involved in, approximately how many have involved alcohol or other drugs?

14. Closed-Ended Questions In most of your hook-ups, to what extent did you expect to have a pleasurable sexual experience? In most of your hook-ups, to what extent did you expect to relieve boredom? Open-Ended Questions What do you expect to get from an ideal hook-up? What would a bad hook-up look like? Hook-Up Expectations(Example Questions)

15. Changed Expectations After Hook-ups(Example Questions) • Have your expectations ever changed after a hook-up? • After a hook-up, have you kept in contact with that person you hooked-up with?

16. RESULTS

17. Number of Hook-ups Versus Grade Level and Gender Female range: 0-15 Male range: 0-25 Main Effect for Grade: F(1,3)=6.07, p<.01

18. Hook-Up Behaviors • 33 out of 66 participants reported drugs or alcohol being used during the majority of their hook-ups. • 15 participants reported never using any form of STI protection during a hook-up. (3 men, 12 women)

19. Expect Pleasurable Sexual Experience • t(64)=-.59, p=.56; Hypothesis 2 not confirmed

20. Expect Relationship • t(63)=.422, p=.674; Hypothesis 3 not confirmed

21. Expect Better Reputation t(64)=-3.63, p<.01

22. Expect Popularity t(64)=-2.48, p=.02

23. Expectations After the Hook-Up • 27 participants (41%) -- experienced changed expectations • 39 participants (59%) -- engaged in a romantic relationship • 59 participants (89 %) -- remained in contact • 44 participants (67%) -- had regrets

24. Discussion • There were no significant gender differences between number of hook-ups, expectations of a romantic relationship, or expectation of a pleasurable hook-up. • However, there were significant gender differences between popularity and a better reputation from peers in regards to hook-ups. • Male participants viewed casual sex as a means of enhancing their reputation among other men (Regan and Dreyer, 1999)

25. Discussion • Hook-ups are common; however, not everyone engaging in them uses safe protection. • Not surprisingly, based on the stereotypes, the use of alcohol is quite common; however, as seen there were a number of hook-ups where alcohol was not involved

26. Future Directions • Diversity • Only had 66 total participants and 67% were female. • Predominantly Caucasian participants • Focus more on drugs and alcohol • Compare the expectations that individuals who have never engaged in a hook-up have in comparison to those that have already hooked-up

27. Conclusion • Some of the participants reported experiences of ambivalence or mixed feelings in regards to hook-ups.

28. QUESTIONS?