Abstract
Six sexually normal women were exposed to a wide variety of erotic video tapes while vaginal, groin, and breast vasocongestion measures were taken. The women indicated their subjective level of sexual arousal while viewing the tapes by positioning a lever device along a calibrated scale. The results indicated highly significant positive correlations among the cognitive and physiological measures for five out of six individual subjects, although the pooled group data failed to show significance. The methodology described in this research shows promise as a diagnostic and research tool.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adamson, J., Romano, K., Burdick, J., Corman, C., and Chebib, F. (1972). Physiological responses to sexual and unpleasant film stimuli.J. Psychosom. Res. 16: 153–162.
Bancroft, J. (1971). The application of psychophysiological measures to the assessment and modification of sexual behaviour.Behav. Res. Ther. 9: 119–130.
Bancroft, J., and Mathews, A. (1971). Autonomic correlates of penile erection.J. Psychosom. Res. 15: 159–167.
Barlow, D., Becker, R., Leitenberg, H., and Agras, W. (1970). Mechanical strain gauge recording penile circumference change.J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 3: 73–76.
Bentler, P. (1968). Heterosexual behavior assessment: II. Females.Behav. Res. Ther. 6: 27–30.
Brown, P. (1964). On the differentiation of homo- or hetero-erotic interest in the male: An operant technique illustrated in a case of a motorcycle fetishist.Behav. Res. Ther. 2: 31–35.
Freund, K. (1963). A laboratory method for diagnosing predominance of homo- and heteroerotic interest in the male.Behav. Res. Ther. 1: 85–93.
Freund, K. (1967). Erotic preference in paedophilia.Behav. Res. Ther. 5: 339–348.
Geer, J., and Fuhr, R. (1976). Cognitive factors in sexual arousal: The role of distraction.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 44: 238–243.
Geer, J., Morokoff, P., and Greenwood, P. (1974). Sexual arousal in women: The development of a measurement device for vaginal blood volume.Arch. Sex. Behav. 3: 559–564.
Hamrick, N. (1974). Physiological and verbal responses to erotic visual stimuli in a female population.Behav. Eng. 11: 9–11.
Heiman, J. (1974). Facilitating erotic arousal: Toward sex-positive sex research. Paper delivered at 1974 meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans.
Heiman, J. (1975a). Use of the vaginal photoplethysmograph as a diagnostic and treatment aid in female sexual dysfunction. Paper delivered at 1975 meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago.
Heiman, J. (1975b). Women's sexual arousal.Psychol. Today 8: 91–94.
Hoon, E., Hoon, P., and Wincze, J. (1976). An inventory for the measurement of female sexual arousal: The SAI.Arch. Sex. Behav. 5: 291–300.
Hoon, P., Wincze, J., and Hoon, E. (1976). Physiological assessment of sexual arousal in women.Psychophysiology 13: 196–204.
Lacey, J. (1967). Somatic response patterning and stress: Some revisions of activation theory. In Appley, M. H., and Trumbull, R. (eds.),Psychological Stress Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York.
Mavissakalian, M., Blanchard, R., Abel, G., and Barlow, D. (1975). Responses to complex erotic stimuli in homosexual and heterosexual males.Br. J. Psychiat. 126: 252–257.
Siegel, S. (1956).Non-parametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences McGraw-Hill, New York.
Sintchak, G., and Geer, J. (1975). A vaginal photoplethysmograph system.Psychophysiology 12: 113–115.
Wenger, M., Averill, J., and Smith, D. (1968). Autonomic activity during sexual arousal.Psychophysiology 4: 468–478.
Wincze, J., Hoon, P., and Hoon, E. (1976). Physiological responsivity of normal and sexually dysfunctional women during erotic stimulus exposure.J. Psychosom. Res. (in press).
Zuckerman, M. (1971). Physiological measures of sexual arousal in the human.Psychol. Bull. 75: 297–329.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was funded in part by grants from the National Research Council of Canada and from Carl Abbott, M.D., Dalhousie Medical School.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wincze, J.P., Hoon, P. & Hoon, E.F. Sexual arousal in women: A comparison of cognitive and physiological responses by continuous measurement. Arch Sex Behav 6, 121–133 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541704
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541704