Exam 1 Flashcards
Sexual behavior
Behavior that produces arousal and increases the chance of an orgasm
History of sexual behavior
-sexuality was regulated by religion
-scientific study of sexuality began in 19th century
-example: observations and surveys
Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939)
-“Father” of psychiatry and psychoanalysis
-studied sexual tensions
-based on his theory on case studies on his patients
Richard Von Kraft-Ebing
(1840-1902)
-Studied Pathological sexuality
-collected 200+ case histories
-coined concepts of Sadism, Masochism, and Pedophilia
(1st) Magnus Hirschfeld
(1868-1935)
-founded the 1st sex research institute
-established the 1st journal devoted to the study of sex
-conducted the 1st large-scale sex survey
-special interest was homosexuality
-introduced the term transvestite
Alfred Kinsey
(1894-1956)
-Conducted several large scale sex surveys in the U.S.
-used the data to publish books on sexual behaviors
-sexual behavior in human male and sexual behavior in the human female
William masters (1915-2001) and Virginia Johnson (1925-2013)
-conducted direct observation of sexual behaviors
-developed the theory of the 4 stage model of sexual response
Religious influences on sexuality
-Religious books and leaders are often considered the authority on sexual matters
Ex: the Bible, sex until married only man and woman
-therefore, religious affiliation and beliefs often influence one’s sexual attitudes
Media influences on sexuality
-For most Americans mass media is now the dominant influence on views of sexuality
-often more impactful than scientific findings
Major theories on the influence of media
-Cultivation Theory: what cultivates you
-Framing Theory: “frame” what’s important
-Social Cognitive Theory: who we copy
-Reinforcing Spiral Theory: ones ideology will predict what type of media they will watch therefore reinforcing what they all ready believe
Culture influence on sexuality
-main cultural theme of society influences sexuality
-cultures often prohibit types of sexual contact
-standards of attractiveness
-social class and ethnic groups impact sexuality
Cultural themes
-Individualistic: independent, self sufficient (permissive sexual attitudes)
-Collective: interdependence, connection with others (conservative sexual attitude)
-Honor : reputation, respect , honor towards each other (of honor is damaged; retributive action)
Prohibited sexual contact
(Most negative to least negative)
- Incest : intercourse between blood relatives
- Extramarital Sex : having sex with someone other than spouse
- Rape
Standards of attractiveness
-Physical characteristics are important in attraction in All cultures
-There is a lot of variation in exactly which physical features are deemed attractive across cultures
Social class influences
Education: influences sexual attitudes, behaviors, and chance of relationship success
Ex: more tolerance, positive sexual behaviors, increase happy and stable relationships
Income : influences sexual attitudes and behaviors
Ex: low social economical status experience occurs at younger age, less likely to use birth control , young pregnancy. More likely for an unsuccessful relationship
Ethnic group differences in sexuality
-African Americans have lower marriage rates (the sex ratio)
-Latino cultures are more likely to emphasize strict gender roles and family commitment
-Asian Americans are more likely to hold conservative sexual attitudes (emotional constraint and control)
Differences between sexuality of most animals and sexuality of humans
-In most animals sexual behaviors is controlled by hormones
-In humans, sexual behavior is controlled by higher order thinking which is strongly shaped by the environment
Sociobiology
-the application of evolutionary biology to understanding the social behaviors of animals
-attractiveness is important criteria in choosing a male
-attractiveness = health and reproductive potential
Important concepts in Sociobiology
-Family structure
-Pair bond (emotional connection between adults)
-Attachment
-Parental investment (resources, skill, food to increase child survival)
-Sexual selection (who they will choose to help them mate)
Criticism of Sociobiology
-Focuses on an outdated version of evolutionary theory
-Views as the main function of sex
Psychoanalytic Theory
-Developed by Sigmund Freud
-Humans are motivated by unconscious desires
-2 major forces motivated humans : food and sex
-which coined the term libido
3 components of personality
-ID : instincts , pleasure
-EGO : reality, realistic or feasible
-SUPEREGO : morality determined by your environment , operates on morality ideal standards and very high moral roles
Psychosexual (psychoanalytic ) stages of development
- Oral (birth to 1 year)
- Anal (2-3 years)
- Phallic {genital area} (3-6 years)
- Latency ( 6-puberty) no pleasurable focus. education social interaction
- Genital (puberty and beyond) strikes new interest in genital area
Oedipus complex
(Phallic stage)
-Boys develop a sexual attraction to mother
-sees father as threat and feels hostile
-feels threatened by father who’s bigger and stronger- castration anxiety
-compensates by identifying with father and trying to be like him
Electra complex
(Phallic stage)
-Penis envy
-Sexually attracted to father
-desired to be impregnated by father presumably as a substitute for penis she’s lacking
-begins to identify with mother and try’s to be like her
Classical conditioning
A previously neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a condition response
Operant conditioning
Frequency of behavior is determined by the consequences that follow the behavior
-rewards increase behavior and punishment’s decrease behavior
-primary reinforcements for humans :
1.sex
2.food (naturally rewarding )
Social learning
-Proposes that observational learning and imitation of others is a major factor in human behavior
-once the behavior is observed and imitated the consequences that follow will determine if the behavior continues
Ex: start talking like friends
Movie’s influence, parents in a relationship , and porn can be imitated
Social exchange theory
Behavior will result from an exchange process, in which people maximize rewards and minimize cost
-current partners : stay when rewards are high, and cost are low
-potential alternative partners : stay when alternatives are low , leave when alternatives are high
-matching hypothesis: choosing partners with similar physical and social characteristics
Societal institutions that regulate sexuality
Religion: Judeo-Christian religion dominant. Promotes a procreation ideology
Economy: unemployment and low-paying jobs deter marriage and a stable family
-low ses groups have a greater number of single female-headed households
-capitalist economies support the scale of sex goods and services
The family: prior to the Industrial Revolution the family was an economic unit. After the Industrial Revolution the family is more for pleasure/love
Relational ideology
Belief that it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage, you just have to love them then it’s acceptable
Medicine
Physicians are viewed as authority figures and medical advice is taken seriously
-current society promotes a therapeutic ideology
If we have problems or issues they can be treated
The government
Laws determine norms
Laws result in social control
Laws reflect in interest of the dominant and powerful groups in society
Self- Reports
Participants are asked questions and they answer them
-surveys or interviews
-surveys are the most common method used in sexual research
Behavioral measures
Measures specific sexual behaviors
Ex: direct observation, eye tracking , police reports
Biological measures
Measures physiological responses
Ex: genital measures, pupil dilation, MRL(structures of sex organ) , FMRL (blood flow to brain)
Implicit Association Test
Measures reaction time to associations between items
Used for more accurate measures of attitudes
Sampling concerns in sexual research
Convenience sampling
Volunteer bias : people who volunteer to participate in studies do not represent general population
Extraneous Variables
Any unintended variable that influences the outcome of a study
Difficulties with accuracy in sex research
Purposeful distortion (basically lying)
-enlargement: exaggerating sexual behavior
-concealment :hiding or minimizing sexual activity
Inaccurate memory
Difficulties with estimates
Ethical concerns in sexual research
Informed consent
Protection from harm
Justice principle (a concept intended to promote fair and equitable treatment of individuals within populations)
Quantitative methods
Relies on numerical data
Qualitative methods
Relies on descriptive date(words)
Seek in depth information
Ex: case studies , participant- observer technique
Experimental studies
One variable is manipulated (independent variable) while all the other factors are held constant, then the variable of interest is measured (dependent variable)
Must include a control group that is not manipulated
The only research that can be demonstrated is cause and effect
Female external genitals
The vulva
-clitoris (homologous to penis)
-mons pubis
-labia : inner lips, outer lips
-vaginal opening (the vagina is internal)
Female internal sex organs
-Vagina (only a certain length about 4 in )
-Skene’s gland (produces liquid )
-Fallopian tubes
-Ovaries 2 (products eggs, produces sex hormones)
-Uterus (houses fetus)
Hymen
Thin membrane that partially covers vaginal opening
Think of pop your cherry (virgin or not )
Female genital cutting
-Clitoridectomy : partial or total removal of the glans of clit
-Excision : partial or total removal of the clit and inner lips
-Infibulation: clit, all inner lips , and part of the outer lips are removed then the remaining edges of the outer lips are stitched together with only small opening left for urination and menstrual fluid
Male external sex organs
-Penis
-shaft
-gland (Tip) homologous to clit
-Corona
-Foreskin( sheet layer of skin, covers gland)
-scrotum (balls) loose skin covers testis
Male internal sex organs
-Testis (reproductive organ of male)
-Seminiferous tube (sperm produced)
-Epididymis (sperms matures)
-Vas deferens (passes out of testis through prostate )
-Seminal vesicle (seminal fluid produced 60% of ejaculate sperm motility)
-Prostate (produces alkaline fluid mixes with seminal fluid and sperm)
-Urethra (where ejaculate and urine come out )
Male genital cutting
Circumcision - cutting away or removal of the foreskin (80% of males 14-59 )
Supercision- making a slit the length of the foreskin, but otherwise leaving it intact
Subincision- making a slit on the underside of the penis to the depth of the urethra
Cancer of the sex organs
Breast cancer -most common for women (12% of women)
Cancer of the cervix -2nd most common in women, cause by HPV
Cancer of the prostate - most common in men (highly kills , not a high success rate)
Cancer of the testis -most common in young men
Health risk with pubic shaving
There has been a dramatic increase in pubic shaving
Poses health risks
- if you shave you are twice as likely to contract STDs
