Sexuality Flashcards

Major dimensions of sexuality

1
Q

Sexuality

A
  1. Dimensions of Sexuality
  2. Sexuality and Personality
  3. Origins of Variations in Sexuality
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2
Q
  1. Dimensions of Sexuality
A

Individual differences in sexual behaviours, preferences, and attitudes

Schmitt and Buss (2000): Lexical method

67 familiar adjectives describing a person’s sexuality

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3
Q

The “sexy seven”

A

e.g., Emotional investment, Sexual restraint, Sexual attractiveness, Relationship exclusivity, Gender Orientation

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4
Q

Two broad factors

A

Sexual Arousal

Sexual Commitment

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5
Q

Sexual Arousal

A

Tendency to feel sexually aroused, sexually attractive, and generally interested in sex

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6
Q

Sexual Commitment

A

Inclination to be strongly committed or attached to one sex partner vs. preference for multiple partners or to be weakly devoted to any one partner

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7
Q

High Sexual Arousal

A

Seductive, Sensual, Sexual arousing, Sexy, Erotic

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8
Q

Low Sexual Arousal

A

Celibate, Abstinent, Prudish

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9
Q

High Commitment

A

Devoted, Loving, Faithful, Monogamous

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10
Q

Low Commitment

A

Polygamous, Promiscuous

Loose, Unfaithful

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11
Q

High Sexual Arousal & Low Commitment

A

Obscene, Vulgar, Indecent

淫穢,粗俗,不雅

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12
Q

High Sexual Arousal & High Commitment

A

Passionate, Romantic, Affectionate

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13
Q

Differences between men and women?

A

Sexual Arousal: No difference

Sexual Commitment: moderately large difference between sexes
- Higher scores for women than for men: about 60% of women but less than 40% of men have above average levels of sexual commitment

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14
Q

Sexual Orientation

Heterosexual vs. homosexual and bisexual

A

Not substantially related to the two dimensions

-> additional dimension

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15
Q
  1. Sexuality and Personality
A

Sexual arousal and personality

Sexual commitment and personality

Sexual orientation and personality

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16
Q

2.1 Sexual Arousal and Personality

A

Positively related to E

Outgoing and lively people = stronger sex drive and stronger sense of being sexually attractive

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17
Q

2.2 Sexual Commitment and Personality

A

Positively related to A, C

Agreeable and conscientious people = stronger inclination to be faithful and devoted to a single partner, rather than to be promiscuous

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18
Q

Sociosexual Orientation

Simpson & Gangestad, 1991

A

Restricted vs. unrestricted

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19
Q

Sociosexually restricted (SSR)

A

Comfortable in a sexual relationship only if he/she feels a strong emotional bond

“Sex without love (impersonal sex) is highly unsatisfactory”

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20
Q

Sociosexually unrestricted (SSU)

A

Perfectly willing to engage in sexual relationships even in the absence of any emotional commitment

“Sex without love is ok”

21
Q

Sexual commitment factor

Bourdage et al (2007): the HEXACO model

A

H-factor; also Emotionality, A, C

Reise and Wright (1996): Narcissism (.25) and psychopathy (.34)

22
Q

2.3 Sexual Orientation and Personality

Distribution of sexual orientation
Bailey, Dunne, & Dunne, 2000

A

Entirely heterosexual: 92%

Mainly or entirely homosexual: M-4%, F-1%

23
Q

What does a “feminine” or “masculine” personality means?

Bem (1974; Spence et al., 1974)

A

Masculine
- agentic traits such as dominance, independence, assertiveness

Feminine
- expressive, communal traits such as nurturance, compassion, interpersonal sensitivity

24
Q

Gender-related interests
- occupational and hobby preferences

Lippa (2005)

A

Also important and perhaps more important than instrumentality and expressiveness

-> Gender diagnosticity (GD)

25
Q

Lippa (2005)

Personality differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual people?

A

Gay men vs heterosexual men

Lesbians vs heterosexual women

Bisexual men

Bisexual women

26
Q

Gay men vs heterosexual men

A

Lower on Self-M-F, GD

Higher on expressiveness

BIG 5: higher O, A, C, N

27
Q

Lesbians vs heterosexual women

A

Higher on Self-M-F, GD and instrumentality

BIG 5: Higher O, Lower N

28
Q

Bisexual men

A

more similar to gay men on Self-M-F and GD

29
Q

Bisexual women

A

more intermediate between heterosexual and lesbian women on Self-M-F and GD

30
Q

Differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual people in artistic vocational interests?

Leisure and recreational activities?

A

Openness to experience

Creativity and unconventionality

31
Q

Lewis and Seaman (2004): General social survey

104 LGB and 2014 heterosexuals

LGB vs. heterosexuals

A

Higher % for museum visits, attendance of ballet/dance and classical music or opera performance

More likely to have taken part in live performance and to have played a musical instrument

Three times as likely to be professional artists (3.6% vs. 1.2%)

32
Q
  1. Origins of variation in sexuality

Nature versus nurture?

A
  1. Sexual Arousal
  2. Sexual Commitment
  3. Sexual Orientation
33
Q

3.1 Sexual Arousal

Dawood, Kirk, Bailey, Andrews, and Martin (2005)

Australian twin study: big samples of MZ and DZ twins (3080 women)

A

Heritability estimates between .30 and .40 for orgasm frequency during sexual intercourse or contact
- about .50 for orgasm during masturbation

-> Genetic basis

34
Q

Biological basis and sexual behaviour

A

Hormones - Link between testosterone and sexual behaviour not strong

Genes related to dopamine levels, also related to sexuality;

  • higher sexual arousal
  • novelty-seeking-related traits? (Cloninger)
35
Q

3.2 Sexual Commitment

Bailey et al (2000): 4900 Australian twins

Sociosexuality and sexual history

A

Heritability almost 50%

Environmental influences:
- no shared environmental, almost all due to unique environment within each family (within-family)

36
Q

Hormones?

Studies among young men

A

Links between testosterone and number of sexual partners

Weaker links among women.

37
Q

Neurotransmitters?

Garcia, MackKillop, Aller, Merriwehter, Wilson, & Lum (2010)

Nearly 200 young adults

A

Survey on personal history of sexual behaviour and intimate relationships
- promiscuity / one-night stands / sexual infidelity

Differences in the Dopamine D4 receptor Gene

38
Q

3.3 Sexual Orientation

A

Genetic and environmental influences?

39
Q

Twin studies?

A

Subsamples of participants who have homosexual orientations are very small

And there are, both homosexual twins are likely to participate together

-> Biased estimates, overestimation of heritability

40
Q

Recent studies in large samples

(e.g. Bailey et al., 2000; Kendler et al., 2000; Langstrom et al. 2010)

A

Evidence for the genetic basis of sexual orientation

For women, some evidence for common environment effects

For both men and women: mostly unique environment effects

41
Q

Development of sexual orientation

Bailey, Dunne, and Martin (2000): measured behaviour during childhood

-> Childhood gender nonconformity: boy-typical toys/activities vs. girl-typical toys/activities

A

Strongly correlated with sexual orientation in later life

Boys who prefer girl-typical activities are more likely to become gay men

Girls who prefer boy-typical activities are more likely to become lesbian women

42
Q

Bailey et al. (2000)

A

Comparing each group with exclusively heterosexual participants (scoring 0 on Kinsey scale)

Heritability: 50% for men; slightly lower for women

No shared environment influences

43
Q

Heritability of childhood gender nonconformity?

A

Easier to study than orientation: more variation in the scores

44
Q

Bem (1996)

“exotic becomes erotic” theory of sexual orientation

A

Most children: engage in gender typical activities

When reaching puberty: sexual attraction toward the strange and unfamiliar “other” children

Members of the opposite sex appear to be mysterious and exotic but this becomes sexually attractive (“erotic”)

45
Q

But what with children engaging in activities that are typical of the opposite sex?

A

Boys with preferences for “girlish” activities

Girls with preferences for “boyish” activities

Gender-nonconforming persons will tend to see members of the same sex as “exotic” - attracted to the same-sex

46
Q

Development of sexual orientation - Number of older brothers

Bogaert (2000; 2003)

A

The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay

Chances are 38% higher for every older brother that a man has

47
Q

Why? The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay

A

Consequence of any kind of sexual play

Birth order effect: higher openness?

Childhood gender nonconformity effect on sexual orientation might be stronger for boys with older brothers?

-> None of these explanations have been supported by research

48
Q

Environment of the mother’s womb

Blanchard & Bogaert, 1996; Bogaert, 2003

A

Substances involved in the development of a male fetus may be recognized as foreign by the mother’s body

This might be stronger in later pregnancies and might have an impact on further male fetal development, counteracting the development of some male-typical features

49
Q

Sexual orientation

Not with a female fetus

A

Likelihood of being lesbian is unrelated to the number of older sisters