Supported by Discovery Grant OGP-138878 to JGP from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research

1. Auditory Cues Alter the Valence of Subjective Sexual Arousal and Desire Induced by an Erotic Film J.G. Pfaus, R.R. Toledano, L. Mihai, T. Young, & A.G. Ryder Department of Psychology, Concordia University Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 CANADA Introduction Results Evidence suggests that women and men differ in their subjective responses to sexually explicit film content. However, a recent study by Janssen et al. (2003) revealed that women and men rate their subjective arousal in response to sexually explicit film sequences chosen by women (presumably “female centric”) in a nearly equal and moderately high manner, whereas women rate their arousal as significantly lower than men in response to films chosen by men (presumably “male centric”). Many male-centric sequences are terminated by a scene of explicit ejaculation, known in the porn industry as the “money shot”, and such endings may help to reinforce the cultural perception that sex begins and ends with an erect penis. Interestingly, several of the female-centric sequences chosen by the women in the Janssen et al. study contained such endings. The present study asked whether ratings of subjective sexual arousal and desire would be altered if this ending was or was not contained in the sequence, and whether the inclusion or exclusion of the accompanying soundtrack would alter the direction of the responses. Evaluative subscale Mean scores for the sequence with sound were significantly higher overall compared to the sequence without sound (P<.0003). The interaction of Auditory Condition with Version revealed that the Ejac+ condition with sound was significantly higher than all other conditions (P<.01). Ejac + Ejac - Ejac + Ejac - With Sound Without Sound Motivational subscale Mean scores for the sequence with sound were significantly higher overall compared to the sequence without sound (P<.03). A trend was found for a significant interaction of Auditory Condition and Version (P<.07) Ejac + Ejac - Ejac + Ejac - With Sound Without Sound Physiological subscale Mean scores for the sequence with sound were significantly higher overall compared to the sequence without sound (P<.0003). Methods Female and male undergraduates (N=160, 80 women and 80 men) viewed a 10-min sexually-explicit film sequence that had been rated of moderately high arousal value by women in the Janssen et al. (2003) study. The sequence is terminated by an ejaculation scene in the last 15 sec, which is preceded by a natural break in the action. We created two versions of the sequence, one that contained the ejaculatory ending, and one that faded out immediately after the break in the action but before the ejaculation. Subjects were assigned randomly to view one of these two versions with or without the accompanying soundtrack (n=20 females or males/group), after which they filled out several subjective scales, including the Sexual Arousal and Desire Inventory (SADI). The SADI (Toledano & Pfaus, 2006) is a 54-item descriptor-based multidimensional scale that assesses the subjective experience of sexual arousal and desire. It contains Evaluative, Motivational, Physiological, and Negative/Aversive subscales based on factor analysis of the descriptors. Data were analyzed using a Between-Subjects Analysis of Variance to assess main effects of Auditory Condition (with or without sound), Version (Ejac+ or Ejac-), or Gender, along with their interactions, for each subscale of the SADI. Ejac + Ejac - Ejac + Ejac - With Sound Without Sound A significant three-way interaction of Auditory Condition, Version, and Gender was found (P<.02). Women found the Ejac+ sequence without sound more negative than did men, whereas this gender difference was not found with sound. Interestingly, men found the Ejac+ sequence with sound to be more negative than without sound, whereas Women found the Ejac- sequence more negative with sound than without. Negative/Aversive subscale Ejac + Ejac - Ejac + Ejac - With Sound Without Sound Conclusions • Scenes of explicit ejaculation that terminate an erotic film • sequence increase the evaluative and motivational properties • of subjective sexual arousal and desire in both women and men, • but only when auditory cues signal a clear and gratifying end to • the sexual interaction. • 2. In the absence of auditory cues, the same sequence induces • significantly less arousal and desire in both men and women, • and increases ratings of subjective aversion in women. • Women and men are sensitive to auditory dimensions of erotic • content. Both versions with sound induced more subjective • physiological arousal than the versions without sound. Janssen E, Carptenter D, Graham CA. Selecting films for sex research: Gender differences in erotic film preference. Arch Sex Behav, 2003;32:243-251. Toledano RR, Pfaus JG. The Sexual Arousal and Desire Inventory (SADI): A multidimensional scale to assess subjective sexual arousal and desire. J Sex Med, 2006, in press. Supported by Discovery Grant OGP-138878 to JGP from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada