Models of sexual response

1. Models of sexual response Stimuli for arousal Kaplan Masters and Johnson

2. Triggers of sexual response • Sensations • Pheromones • Drugs • Brain centers • Learning and socialization

3. Sensation triggers: Releasing cues? • “Men are turned on by sight, women by touch.” Is that true? • Primary triggers: Touch • Are visual stimuli conditioned? • Sounds: A lover’s voice, poetry, music, seductive speech, sex sounds • Tastes and odors: food and drink, perfumes, body cues

4. Pheromones and reproduction • Lee-Boot effect: Slow and stop estrous • Whitten effect: Synchronize estrous • Vandenbergh effect: Early puberty • Bruce effect: Spontaneous abortion • Synchronized menstrual cycles in college women (McClintock, 1971) • Underarm sweat and menstrual synchrony (Stern & McClintock, 1998)

5. Pheromones and attraction • Doty et al. (1975): Odors of vaginal secretions rated as unpleasant by bith men and women…but less so around ovulation • Androstenol necklaces increased women’s social interactions with men, but had no effect on men (Cowley & Brooksbank, 1991) • Human vomeronasal organs can respond to pheromones.

6. Hormonal control of arousal • Correlational research • Testosterone is the key circulating hormone • Estrogen is the key cellular hormone • Threshold levels of testosterone are necessary for sexual interest in both genders • But testosterone is not a sufficient cause for sexual activity. • Social factors are far more important.

7. Ovarian hormones and arousal • In primates, ovarian hormones do not control the ability to mate. • Most studies find little or no effect of circulating ovarian hormones on sexual behavior. • However, female monkeys who can control their sexual activity engage in sexual activity at peak estradiol times.

8. More on ovarian hormones • Human women studied are almost all married. In marriage, other factors than estradiol influence sexual behavior. • Women on the pill show less variation in sexual interest with the menstrual cycle (Alexander et al., 1990)

9. Sex hormones • Organizing effects: Species-typical mating postures and actions • Activating effects: motivating sexual behavior, and affecting its frequency and intensity • Loss of hormone production is followed by a slow lessening of sexual interest • Previous sexual experience mitigates the change, however.

10. Kaplan’s therapy-based model • Desire phase • Psychological components • Physical sensations • Vasocongestive phase • Increased blood in genital region • Erectile responses and lubrication • Increased muscle tension

11. Kaplan… • Orgasmic-release phase • Orgasm triggers changes • Reverse of vasocongestive phase

12. Masters and Johnson’s physiological model • Excitement phase • Increasing genital response • Erection and transudation • Sex flush • Increasing subjective excitement • Plateau phase • Orgasm or climax • Resolution

13. Discussion • Are there differences between men and women in the experiencing of any of the phases of the sexual response cycle?

14. Criticisms of models • Desire phase may be extremely short, or it may be chronic • Plateau experiences are not always found • Continual increase in tension is more often found • The model is biased to the experiences of one gender • Models impose a paradigm on sexual expression

15. Variations from the pattern • Multiple or absent orgasms • Variation in physical correlates of phases • Orgasm focus • Deception • Refractory period • Coolidge effect

16. Aging and sexual response • Reduced and delayed lubrication • Less vasocongestion • Changes dependent on inactivity • Increased likelihood of erectile failure • Delayed orgasm and erection

17. But the good news is: • Sexual frequency remains unchanged: • In the 20s: Tri-weekly • In the 40s: Try weekly • In the 60s: Try weakly