Psych Unit 8

Question 1

William Masters

Answer 1

• researched physiology of sexual response in 1954
• did his work in secret bc he was concerned about it being too taboo
• he interviewed 215 prostitutes to gather info on how they facilitated sexual arousal and what they knew about sexual tension, response, orgasm
• he hired Virgina Johnson as his research assistant and together they developed tools to measure physiological arousal in a lab setting

**they used direct observation and biological measures to get their data

**they found that gay and lesbian couples took their time during intercourse than straight couples

Question 2

Human Sexual Response Cycle

Answer 2

Masters invited participants into the lab and masturbate
- 694 people participate in the lab study
- men ranged from 21-89 and women ranged from 18-78

**they developed the Human Sexual Response Cycle

Question 3

Stages of Sexual Response

Answer 3

1. Excitement
2. Late Excitement (plateua)
3. Orgasm
4. Resolution

Question 4

Vasocongestion

Answer 4

an accumulation of blood in the blood vessels of a region of the body, especially the genitals

Question 5

Myotonia

Answer 5

muscle contraction

Question 6

Data Collection Techniques

Answer 6

• they tracked cardio acitivity
• used EEGs

Masters holds a clear tube in a scene –
- female participants would stimulate themselves with the clear tube (artificial penis)
- this allowed for changes inside the vagina to be photographed
- the artificial penis was powered electronically and the woman could control it

Question 7

Male Excitement Phase

Answer 7

• vasocongestion occurs
• the corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongiosum fill with blood to give someone an erection
• erection can be caused by stimulating a part of the body, erotic thoughts, or watching something
• erection occurs quickly but can be slower if you’re older, had alcohol, or fatigue

as man gets closer to orgasm they secrete pre-cum from cowper’s gland
- for an erection to happen, the arteries have to dialate so blood can come into the corpora (allows muscles to relax)
- nitric acid is involved

Question 8

Male Late Excitement Phase

Answer 8

• scrotal sac tenses
• the scrotum is pulled up closer to the body
• skin of scrotum thickens
• spermatic cords shorten which pulls the testes closer to the body
  – the cremaster muscle that surrounds the testes contracts or relaxes to move the testes closer or further from the body (cremasteric reflex) to regulate temperature
  — During arousal, the muscle contracts so the testes are closer to the body

Question 9

Male Orgasm Phase

Answer 9

• occurs in 2 diff. stages

1st stage:
- the vas, seminal vesicles, and prostate contract (get a sensation that you can’t hold it back — cumming)

2nd stage:
- penis contracts - urethra bulb and the penis contracts rhythmatically
- the semen is forced thru the urethra to the tip of the penis

blood and breathing rate increase

**the spasms in feet and hands = carpopedal spasms

Question 10

Male Resolution Phase

Answer 10

unaroused state

Detamenses: loss of erection in the penis (happens in 2 stages)

D2 menses stage 1:
- penis still enlarged, loss of erection results from emptying the corpus cavernosum

D2 Menses stage 2:
- happens slower
- results from emptying the corpus spongiosum and the glands

**vasoconstriction = makes an erection go away

Question 11

Men Refractory period

Answer 11

they are incapable of being aroused again, having an erection, or having an orgasm

• length of refractory period varies from man to man
• can take a few mins or 24 hours
• period grows longer as men get older

Question 12

Female Excitement Phase

Answer 12

• vagina is lubricated
• capillaries in the vaginal walls dilate – blood flows
• arousal is rapid but not as quick as males (10-30 sec)
• female arousal response can be slower if older, had alcohol or fatigue
• the glans clitoris swells
• vestibular bulbs get erect and swell
• elevation of clitoris
• the inner lips swell and open up

Question 13

Female Late Excitement Phase

Answer 13

• elevation of the clitoris
• the clit retracts and is drawn to the body
• upper 2/3 of the vagina expand (vaginal ballooning – does this to make space for the penis to enter)
• the uterus and cervix pull up to allow for room for the penis

orgasmic platform: forms closer to orgasm
- a tightening of the entrance to the vagina caused by contraction of the bulbospongiosus muscle (which runs along the entrance to the vagina)
- vagina gets tighter because of this

Question 14

Female Orgasm

Answer 14

a series of rhythmic, muscular contractions occur at the orgasmic platform
- the contraction occur quickly and there are a lot of them
- uterus and muscles in the anus contract

• pulse rate, breathing rate, and blood flow increases when people orgasm

**females don’t go thru a refractory period really

**the contraction of muscles in hands and feet during orgasm = carpopedal spasms

Question 15

The Clitoris and Female Orgasms

Answer 15

myth: most females orgasm from penetration of the vagina alone

Myth: vaginal organsms are better than clitoral orgasms

Truth: most female orgasm involve stimulation of the clitoral structure in some way

***Vaginal and clitoral organsms are physiologically the same
- Clirotal and vaginal orgasms often result from stimulation of the same anatomical structure - even if it’s not direct, manual stimulation

Question 16

G-Spot

Answer 16

• female ejaculation only happens in some women (G-spot responsible for that)
• known as female prostate or Skene’s gland

stats:
- 40% of women have reported ejaculation at least once
- 66% of women report having a sensitive area on the front wall of the vagina

the urge to pee is what ppl call the female ejaculation

Question 17

Written Description of Orgasm

Answer 17

mix of female and male descriptions
- tension building up
- contractions
- sense of euphoria
- building pressure

**a panel of experts couldn’t tell the difference between which orgasm descriptions came from men and which came from women

Question 18

Female Resolution

Answer 18

the 5-10 seconds when the clitoris shrinks to normal size
- orgasmic platform shrinks and relaxes
- the ballooning of the vagina shrink
- takes about 30 mins
- women don’t have a refractory period
- women can have orgasms in short period of time
- women can have 25-30 orgasms in a row

• the orgasm releases muscular tension

Question 19

Breast Response

Answer 19

• the nipples become erect
• muscles contract (myotonia) – causes response –
• the breasts may swell and enlarge (during excitement phase)
• men can have nipple erection too (more obvious in women)

Question 20

Human Sexual Response Cycle Outcomes

Answer 20

• Masters and Johnson were credited for being first reserachers to asses sexuality from a clinical and medical perspective
• their reserach helped to normalize sexuality
  **reserach showed that women and men have very similar physiologically sexuality response — have similar potential for sexual response and orgasm

** no differences between vaginal and clitoral orgasms

Question 21

Criticisms of the Human Sexual Response Cycle

Answer 21

Tiefer (sexologist):
- critisized this model
- the model put overemphasis on psychological response and neglected social and cultural factors

Subject Selection Bias:
- participants had to have orgasmed before
- had to be of higher socioeconomic status
- mostly white
- had to be willing to come in the lab and talk about sex (very taboo)

Experimenter Bias:
- Masters and Johnson interacted with patients to get what they wanted
- had a practice session with them to get them confident
- they told the participants their expectations (could have led participants to fulfill those expectations)

Question 22

Why do the Critisms Matter of the Human Sexual Response Cycle

Answer 22

• some doctors use this model to diagnose sexual disorders (not all sexuality follows this cycle)
• anything that doesn’t follow this cycle (not having an orgasm) is seen as abnormal
• risks pathologizing (treating someone) who’s sexual experiences don’t follow this model
• model put too much emphasis on orgasm (tells ppl that orgasm is the ultimate goal of sex)

Question 23

Kaplan’s Triphasic Model of Sexual Response

Answer 23

• it has 3 independent parts that don’t always occur in a linear order

1. sexual desire
   - the physiological component is important to arousal
   - desire can occur at the same time of excitement to motivate a person towards sexual activity and excitement, or excitement can come before
   *when excitement comes before and activates desire, this called the responsive desire
2. Vasocongestion
3. muscular contractions/orgasm

Question 24

Sexual Excitation-Inhibition Model

Answer 24

Jansen and Bancroft developed this model to understand human sexual response

excitation - being aroused by sexual stimuli

inhibition - inhibiting sexual arousal (maybe you do this bc you don’t want to be aroused)

• they argued that Masters and Johnson focused too much on excitation
• sexual inhibition and excitation vary for people
• most people fall into the moderate range of these 2

ex: people who are high on excitation and low on inhibition might do risky behavior (like not wear a condom)

ex: people who are low on excitation and high on inhibition may have low sexual desire or erectile dysfunction

Question 25

Basson's Sexual Response Model for Women

Answer 25

2000 study -- they made this model because they didn't think the other ones took into account women especially women in long-term relationships *thinks there's problems with Masters and Johnson's Model and Kaplan's model - says that women might relate to the traditional human sexual response cycle at the beginning of a relationship, but over time it changes with new stresses - for women to move from sexual neutrality to them seeking sexual stimuli to get aroused, they may have to sense a sexual neediness, an opportunity to be sexual, or a benefit - sexual desire becomes something that might be more responsive than spontaneous **women's sexual response isn't always spontaneous and may be more responsive -- they might need an emotional connection, support, or might not aroused until later

Question 26

Faking an Orgasm

Answer 26

a study showed 51% of women faked an orgasm - they fake an orgasm to fulfill the sexual script or to feel powerful or gain power over their partner

Question 27

Reflexes in Women

Answer 27

- touch to the clitoris travels to the reflex center in the sacral part of the spinal cord - neural circuits for orgasm in women are similar to orgasm and ejaculation in men

Question 28

Brain Control of Sexual Response

Answer 28

- certain parts of the brain are associated with desire, interest, arousal, orgasm and the refractory period nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hypothalamus -- activation in men when viewing still photos

Question 29

Non-Chemical Influences of Sexual Response

Answer 29

- excitement and arousal --> dopamine, oxytocin, and norepinephrine dopamine: attention to sexual stimuli and desire in limbic system oxytocin and norepinephrine: stimulate arousal and erection **these chemicals block the inhibitory process

Question 30

Organizing Effects vs. Activating Effects

Answer 30

organizing effects = hormones that cause a relatively permanent change in the organization of some structures in nervous system and reproductive system ex: a female guinea pig given testosterone had a baby that couldn't engage in female sexual behaviors (organized in a male fashion) activating effects = they activate certain behaviors - hormone effects stimulate sexual behavior **females and males both have capacities to engage in both female and male sexual behaviors

Question 31

Testosterone and Sexual Desire

Answer 31

- Testosterone has an activating effect in maintaining sexual desire in men - androgrens are used to treat women with low sexual desire **testosterone influences sex and sex influences testosterone

Question 32

Sex Offenders

Answer 32

physical castration = removes testes chemical castration = injection of anti-androgens that reduces testosterone levels - low levels of testosterone result in reduced sex drive and elimination of sexual behavior

Question 33

Cunnulingus

Answer 33

"eating" the woman's genitals are stimulated by partner's mouth (oral sex) - can transmit some STIs (ghonnorea) - can transmit herpes from genitals

Question 34

Fellatio

Answer 34

blow job on penis - swallowing ejaculation is unsafe practice for AIDS

Question 35

Anal Intercourse

Answer 35

hurts more than vaginal penis intercourse because there's no lubrication and anus has tight muscles - can cause injury to butt - can lead to infections - HIV can be transmitted -- can get vaginitis if the penis is put into the vagina after its used for anal

Question 36

Analingus

Answer 36

tounge and mouth stimulate the anus

Question 37

Aphrodisiacs

Answer 37

a substance that excites desire - no known substance that works as an aphrodisiac - ppl think oysters are one but they're not - they think foods that resemble genitals are aphrodisiacs -- but they're not