Introduction to Sexuality

1. Introduction to Sexuality Carroll Chapter 2 Research Methods in Sexology

2. What is Sexuality? • Sexuality • Sensations, emotions, behaviors and cognitions associated with sexual arousal

3. Safer sex (AIDS) Gender issues Changing images of male & female Homosexuality Causes, consequences, hip-ness (Will & Grace) What constitutes sex? ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky’ W. J. Clinton. Contemporary Trends

4. JAMA (1999), 281, 275-277 • College student asked what they considered sex (Ns range 239-353) Females Males Hand-Genital 12.2% 19.2% Oral-genital 37.7% 43.9% Penis-anal 82.3% 79.1% Penis-vagina 99.7% 99.2%

5. Sexuality Throughout History • The Earliest Records (20,000 years old) • Cave depictions of sex & reproduction • Classical Greece, Rome • Explicit sexuality & inherent bisexuality • Zeus, Hercules seduced males & females • Prostitution common

6. Victorian Period (1837-1901) Rigid and repressive Women domestic, maternal, sexual purity Degeneracy Theory Sex impairs physical and mental health (masturbation causes blindness) Sexuality Throughout History

7. Theoretical Perspectives • Evolutionary Psychology • Sexual practices evolved because they maximized survival • Biological theories • Social Psychology • Culture & society impacts development and expression of sexuality • Social learning, sociological, feminist and queer theories • Suppression of female sexuality

8. Research Methods in Sexuality

9. Sexology • An interdisciplinary field devoted to the scientific study of sexuality • Scientific study of sex began in 1800s • Physicians in Europe • Bloch ‘Sexology’ • Hirschfeld • Ellis • Mosher • Davis • Systematic study in US began in 1920s

10. The Scientific Approach • Process of inquiry relying on empiricism • Direct observation and measurement • Replication • Only appropriate for certain Qs

11. Describing it Understanding it Predicting it Controlling or changing it Phenomenon generally function? Rape Types of rape, victimology, rapist Why do men rape? Misogyny -> rape Therapy to reduce hatred of women Goals of Science

12. Measurement • Self-Report • Questionnaires, Interviews, Diaries • Direct Behavioral Measures • Masters & Johnson • Medical/Physiological Measures • Penile plethysmograph • Diameter of penis (blood flow) • Vaginal photoplethsymograph • Light reflection (blood flow)

13. Measurement - Sampling • Sample from population • Married couples • Inference from sample to population • Sample should be... large (N = 100) representative randomly sampled

14. Personal Experiences • Personal experiences important & meaningful to the individual • But they are not useful in generating general laws (theories) about behavior • Biased • Not representative • Unique cases

15. Research Designs in Science • Controlled experiments (understand & predict) • Correlational designs (describe) • Case studies • Observational methods • Survey methods

16. Controlled Experiments • Systematic manipulation of one variable and observation of its impact on another while other factors are held constant

17. Controlled Experiments • Independent variable • Causal factor that is manipulated • Dependent variable • Measured effect • Hypothesis • Relationship between IV & DV

18. Controlled Experiments • Ho: alcohol increases sexual arousal • IV: alcohol • DV: sexual arousal (self-report, genital blood flow) • 1/2 drink alcohol 1/2 no alcohol • Measure arousal

19. Text Video • Type of design, measurement & procedure? • IV? • DV? • How to increase female sex drive?

20. Controlled Experiments • Strengths • Control • Cause and effect • Weaknesses • Low external validity • Impossible to control some Vs

21. Survey Methods: Interviews & questionnaires • Strengths • Easy, fast • Only way to get at attitudes, preferences • Weaknesses • Measurement Error • Presentational bias • Memory distortion • Volunteer bias

22. National Surveys of Sexual Behavior • Describe sexuality of country’s population w/ a small, representative sample • Many (see text especially for NHSLS)

23. Alfred Kinsey • Sex researcher in 1940s, 1950s • Used interview techniques (1940s, 50s) • ~18,000 Ps (8,000 by Kinsey himself) • 2 major works (Male: 1948; Female, 1953) • Very controversial

24. Kinsey • When Kinsey began his work the main sexologists were physicians • Poorly trained (not sex experts) • Most work came from psychiatrists • Freudian view • Influenced by assumptions of the day • Sex made you sick • Sex education MUST involve moral education

25. Kinsey • Scientific approach to sexology • ‘value free’, apolitical • Sex = behavior to be studied • Face-to-face interviews best • Has been widely criticized • Sampling

26. Kinsey • Contribution rests more with approach than with findings • Trailblazer • Willing to challenge societal beliefs & study sex scientifically

27. Group Activity I: Sex Research • Groups of 4-5 develop controlled experiment to examine some aspect of sexuality.

28. Group Activity I: Sex Research • First describe primary strengths of CEs • Second, pick/label your IV and DV • Arousal, orgasms, attraction • Third, develop a hypothesis • Fourth, decide how to manipulate IV • Include > 2 conditions • Fifth, decide how to measure DV • Qaire, physiological measures, interviews • Please turn this in at end of class

29. Conclusions • Many scientific methods to study sex • Each has strengths and weaknesses • Choice depends on resources and Q