Lecture 2: sex research

What is the egocentric fallacy?

Belief that one’s own personal experience and values are generally held by others (we assume others hold the same viewpoint).

What is the ethnocentric fallacy?

: Belief that one’s own ethnic group, nation, or culture’s values and customs are innately superior.

Main point of egocentric & ethnocentric fallacy?

Inability to take multiple perspectives on an issue. Just because something is different doesn’t mean it’s better or worse — sometimes it’s just different and that’s okay

What is a value judgment

People tend to make value judgments about sex based on moral beliefs about what is right and wrong.

Can truth value be assessed with value judgments?

no

Q: How are value judgments often expressed?

Through opinions, biases, and stereotypes (often unknowingly).

What are objective statements?

Scientists seek to objectively describe and understand the world (and sex) rather than evaluate or judge it.

Objective statements describe what?

How people actually behave.

Can truth value be assessed with objective statements?

yes

What is attitude?

Predisposition to think or feel in certain ways.

What is behavior?

The way one acts or conducts oneself.

How are attitude and behavior related?

Often contradictory

Examples of attitude vs behavior?

Okay with premarital sex but doesn’t engage in it
• Disapproves of premarital sex but engages in it

What is a virginity pledge?

Promise to not have sex before marriage

Late 19th century sexuality research focused on what?

Sexuality began to be studied scientifically with emphasis on “pathologies

Early 20th century shift?

More positive view of sexuality.

Late 20th century views?

Sexual expression is essential to well-being, female sexuality is as important as male sexuality, and broadening of legitimate sexual activity.

The scientific study of human sexuality began in the…

1800s

Who wrote Psychopathia Sexualis?

Richard von Krafft-Ebing

What was Psychopathia Sexualis

Case histories of deviant sexual behavior.

What did Krafft-Ebing argue masturbation caused

Physical and mental “pathologies” including homosexuality, fetishism, and sadomasochism.

Freud believed sexuality begins when?

AT birth

Freud’s five stages of development?

Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital.

What is Oedipal complex?

Boy develops sexual desires for mother and hostile or jealous feelings toward father

What is castration anxiety?

Fear father will cut off penis.

What is Electra complex?

Girl develops sexual desire for father and hostile feelings toward mother.

What is penis envy?

Girl discovers she doesn’t have a penis.

Latency stage?

Ages 6–puberty; complexes resolved by identifying with same-sex parent

What did Ellis challenge?

Victorian repression of sexuality

What did Ellis point out?

Relativity of sexual values.

Ellis believed masturbation was…

Not abnormal.

Ellis documented what about women?

Women’s sexual desires.

Ellis considered homosexuality as…

A birth condition

Human Sexual Inadequacy (1970) argued what (masters and johnson)

Sexual problems are not from neuroses but from lack of information, poor communication, or relationship conflict.

masters and Johnson findings

Male and female sexual responses are very similar. Women achieve orgasm primarily through clitoral stimulation.

Human Sexual Response (1966) studied what? (masters and johonson)

Sexual response cycle using clinical observation and physiological measurements.

Kinsey collected data using…

One-on-one in-depth interviews.

Kinsey Scale measures what?

sexual orientation on a continuum

Kinsey’s sexual orientation finding?

46% of males reported sexual experiences or attraction to both sexes

Sexual differences are a matter of

Degree, not kind.

Kinsey rejected what?

Normal–abnormal dichotomy.

What books did Kinsey write?

Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Female (1953).

What was Kinsey’s goal?

Document types and frequencies of sexual behavior using scientific research.

What did Kinsey find?

Extraordinary diversity and large discrepancy between public standards and actual behaviors.