Sex research Flashcards
Sex research
Techniques of sex reseatch vary in terms of the following
- how sexuality is measured
- whether large numbers of people or small numbers of people are studied
- whether the studies are conducted in the laboratory or in the field
- whether the behavior is studies as it occurs or if there is more attemot to manipulate it
Non-experimental studies
To describe people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a systematic manner
- surveys
- behavioral measures
- case reporting
- implicut measures
- biological measures
Self-reports
Self-reports are the most common method for measuring sexuality: participants are asked questions about sexual behaviors and attitudes
- paper questionnaires (Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction or International Index of Erectile Function)
- interviews
- online
Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS)
Een zelfrapportage vragenlijst over de beleving van seks; hoe tevreden mensen zijn
- Kritiek: bepaling cut-offs, oordelend
Interantional index of erectile function
Is een oude zelfrapportage vragenlijst over het erectiel functioneren van een man, wordt veel gebruikt
- er worden definities gegeven
- inleiding wordt vaak overgeslagen
Kinsey reports
Based on thousands of interviews conducted in the US between 1938-1949: Sexual behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female
- Masturbation, homosexuality, extramarital sex were more commen than expected (but sampling issues)
Directe observatie
Seks bekijken in het laboratorium
- S/M in sim-public settings
Behavioral measures: eye-tracking
Participants wear an eye-tracking device that measures their point of gaze as they are shown pictures on a computer
- research question: Where do men look first?
- Photos of naked women were presented
Case studie
Gaan over een heel specifiek voorval, waardoor er maar weinig participanten deelnemen.
Implicit Measures
Implicit Association Test: measures individual’s strength of association between different pairs of concepts
- reaction time is measured in millisecond
- quick reaction when two concepts are strongly associated
Direct observation
- Masters and Johnson
They pioneered the biological measurement of sexual response
- genital measures assess erection in males and vaginal changes in females
- observed how (wo)mens’s bodies respond to sexual stimulation in the lab
- after engeging in sexual activity, participants were interviewed
- nonrepresentative
- their research was controversial and deemed ‘pornographic’
Biological measures
Genital measures: measure erection in males and vaginal changes in females
- penile strain gauge (penile circumference)
- Vaginal photoplethysmograph (vaginal blood volume)
- pupil dilation: arousal
- functional MRI: brain and neural activity (blood flow)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- MRI
Looks at anatomy by using magnets to send and receive signals that give information while participants lie in the center of the magnet (scanner)
- provides good contrast between soft tissues of the body
- noninvasive
National health and social life surveys
- NHSLS
Start van Kinsey reports –> interviews en kort geschreven vragenlijsten.
National survey of sexual health and behavior
- NSSHB
Is het recentste onderzoek, waarbij gebruik werd gemaakt van zelfrapportage vragenlijst
Experimental studies
Researchers manipulate or change the independent variable to see its effects on the dependent variable
- cause-and-effect
- confounding: other factors change alongside the independent variable