Chapter 3 Flashcards
Why do human sexuality research?
Correct misinformation and assumptions
Stats and epidemiology
Challenged historical concepts and prejudices
Dispel stereotypes
Understand cultural differences
What did Dr. Celia Mosher research?
Surveyed her female patients practices and attitudes towards sex
-assumed women dont want sex
What did Dr. Celia Mosher findings challenge?
Findings challenged Victorian assumptions
What kind of sample did Dr Celia mosher have?
Convenience sample
Why is sexuality research important?
Round out our understanding of knowledge and practice
Enhance understanding
•For our relationships: goal setting and problem solving
•For our selves: likes and dislikes
-What are the communication patterns in interpersonal relationships
What were the first sexuality researches done by?
Doctors and was medic-scientific-sex wasn’t talked about openly
What did older sexual research focus on?
Pathological behaviours
- People believed to be sick
- Literary sources
- Lack of diversity
- Religious sin = disease
When did sexual research start?
late 19th early 20th century
When did north americas interest unisexual research start?
1920
- emphasis on health and hygiene
- avoiding transmission of sexual diseases that disrupt families
- Knowledge expanded by Kinsey, Masters & Johnson
What is the definition of medicalization fo sexuality?
Certain sexual behaviours defined in terms of health and illness
- Problematic experiences and practices given medical treatment
- Stigmatizing labels
What is the sexual health perspective?
Supports research that for enhances health and well-being, includes diverse perspectives, helps with primary prevention or early intervention .
What is androcentric?
male dominated, male norm considered the standerd and women were ecxluded from most research abck in the day and didt do the research either
What are the issues in sex research steps involved?
Identify the population you wish to study
-What population are you studying?
Identify the best method for gathering your data
-Limitations of time, cost, access to participant pool, informed consent process
Contact participants
-What is the best and most effective way?
Which methodology should you chose when studying sexuality?
Each method has pros can cons and it depends on your resources will influence the type you go with
What method do you use if you are looking for naturally occurring phenomena?
Correlational study looks at factors that appear together
Naturalistic environment
No causal inference
What method do you use if you are looking to see if one variables have an effect on another variable?
Experimental design where researchers manipulate variable X to see its effect on Y
What method do you use if you are using meta-analysis to assess data collected within studies that have been done in the past?
Two-factor design
Averages determined
What is a meta analysis?
- Taking all previous research based on what you look at
- Usually take place over a longer period of time
- No 2 studies look at the research question in the same way or derives that date in the same way
In a correlational study what does the researched not do?
The researcher does not manipulate variables but rather studies naturally occurring relationships (correlations) among
variables. Strength of association not that one causes the other
- Tells us that certain factors are related
- Cannot lead to predictions
What is a correlational study?
Measure things that occur together naturally, without experimental manipulation
A number between 0-1 is generated to identify the strength of the relationship between two variables
Correlational studies
Variables can be positively or negatively correlated
What does it mean to have a + correlation?
both variables increase or decrease
What does it mean to have a - correlation ?
Both variables either increase or decrease in opposite directions
What is the independent variable?
One variable is manipulated by the experimenter
What is the dependent variable?
Other factors held constant
Measure the effect of the manipulated variable
What is random sampling?
Each member of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample
What is stratified random sampling?
The population is divided into groups and then random sampling occurs in each group
What is probability sampling?
Each member of the population has a known probability of being included in the sample
What are sampling issues we can come across?
Non-response or refusal to respond. May be more of a risk when doing research about sensitive subject matter
- May lead to a self-selection bias
What is the p value?
P value: chances that the results happen by chance
Experimental model of study allows
for conclusions to be made about one
variable causing the outcome of
another variable
Internal reliability?
Keep internal reliably strong bu making sure everyone in the groups are similar in all categories as possible
What is prevalence?
Percentage of people who have engaged in a certain behaviour
What is Incidence?
Percentage of people giving a particular response
What is cumulative incidence?
Percentage of people who have engaged in a behaviour at/before a certain age
What is frequency?
How often a person does something or responds in a particular way
What is the difference between mean median and mode?
Mean: average score
Median: the middle score
Mode: most frequent score
What is variability?
Variability
Ranges of responses within the sample
How do we measures self reports?
Data may be collected in a lab or through online sampling
-Questionnaires (paper, online, CASI)
One on one interviews (standardized, quantitative and/or qualitative)
Likert scales
Online (web-based surveys)
Why are self reports of human sexual behaviour reliable?
Inaccuracies of self reporting due to purposeful distortion
What is purposeful distortion?
Purposely providing false information about personal sex behaviours
May be linked to embarrassment, and/or a desire to please researcher
-social desirability
Topics people are shy to discuss , religious, shy to share, embarrassed, people who hide info for whatever reason
How do you limit purposeful distortions?
Assure anonymity and identifying how the information will be used may assist in limiting purposeful distortions
Why can self reports be unreliable by imperfect memory/recollection?
Recall accuracy varies from person to person
Misinterpretation of the question
Difficulty with estimates
Why can self reports be unreliable by difficulties with estimates?
Inter-rater reliability of partners shows that men and women estimate different amounts of time for sex activities. This shows that individuals have difficulty estimating time, frequency etc.
What is test-retest reliability?
A method for testing whether self-reports are reliable or accurate
Participants are interviewed or given a questionnaire
Participants are then re-interviewed at a later date or re-administered the identical questionnaire at a later date to determine the congruency of the information
Obtaining independent reports from 2 ditfferent people
What are the advantages of web based surveys?
Anonymity assured of participants
Potential for large sample sizes
Can study special populations
Easier to study “taboo” topics
Can be used for sensitive concepts
What are the disadvantages of web based designs?
Web recruiting does not access entire diversity of the population being studied
Self-reporting issues still apply:
purposeful distortions
imperfect memory
difficulty estimating
Researchers cannot control the data collection environment
What are the extraneous factors that can affect data collection?
Interviewer may impact participant responses
- Research has shown that female interviewers have been shown to be preferred by both male and female identified participants
- people have to be specifically trained to do this type of research
Who is Alfred Kinsey ?
Academic training in engineering then the sciences
Trained as a zoologist (gall wasps)
Entomologist
Indiana University course Recalibrated his work
-started late 30s
Why was he interested in researching sexual behaviour?
Personal motivations for exploring the topic of human sexuality
-Early issues in his marital sexual relationship
Taught a marriage course only offered to married or engaged couples of faculty and undergrads
-There was no data in the subject so this made it interested
Quest to “liberate” sexuality in America.
-Wanted to conduct research to fill in the gaps in data on human sexuality
How did his sexual research start?
Started with self-report questionnaires
Evolved to One on One interviews
Non-randomized samples
Wanted to conduct research to fill in the gaps
He wanted to be able to explain the variety of human sexual behaviour using scientific research
Refining of methodology to get more answers and make partiicipants feel more comfy to discuss their sex history and to make them more ocmfortabnle and not present a stigma
-Went from surveys to his students to one on one
How did Kinsey refine he’s research method?
Switched to one on one interviewing
Face to face technique with Kinsey himself or a well trained interviewer
- High standards for trainees
- Aim to minimize purposeful distortions
What environment was Kinsey trying to create in the interviews?
Non-judgmental
open questions
closed questions
Anonymity
Scientific objectivity
Coding essential
How many questions were participants asked by Kinsey?
300
What were thee major sex serveys that Kinsey reported?
5300 males interviews and 5940 female interviews
Resulted in 1948 publication of Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male and Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female in 1953 respectively
- Gained attention beyond academic circle
- Each volume received different public responses
