General Psychology Chapter 12: Human Sexuality and Gender

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General Psychology Chapter 12Human Sexuality
and Gender
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Gender Differences

• Gender differences in cognitive abilities
• Gender differences in verbal ability
• females outperformed males in reading and
  writing, while males did better in science and
  math

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• Gender differences in spatial ability
• Researchers have found that, in general, males
  tend to perform somewhat better than females on
  tests of spatial skills
• Some research has shown that spatial abilities
  appear to be enhanced by prenatal exposure to
  high levels of androgens
• Individual differences in testosterone levels
  among men are predictive of their performance on
  spatial skills like route learning

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• Gender differences in social behavior and
  personality
• Most researchers agree that greater physical
  aggression in males is one of the most consistent
  and significant gender differences
• Girls and women are more likely than their male
  peers to use indirect forms of aggression
• Researchers have consistently found that women
  appear to be more attuned to others verbal and
  nonverbal expressions and feelings, and less
  reluctant than men to discuss their personal
  experiences and reveal their own feelings

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• As children, males tend to favor competitive
  activities and situations, while females are more
  likely to prefer cooperative ones

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• Sexual violence
• Any kind of sexual contact in which one or more
  participants are either unable to give consent or
  are forced into participation

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• Sexual violence against women
• In the United States, about 28 of women,
  compared to 8 of men, have experienced some type
  of sexual violence by the time they reach college
  age
• Surveys of older women show that about 40 have
  been victims of sexual violence
• National surveys show that more than 80 of rapes
  are never reported to authorities
• In more than 90 of reported rapes, the
  perpetrator is a friend, acquaintance, or
  intimate partner of the victim

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• Sexual abuse of children
• Experts estimate that about 17 of women and 8
  of men were sexually abused as children
• Sexually abused children are likely to live in
  fear and to experience sleep disorders and loss
  of appetite, depression, anger, irritability, PTSD

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• As they enter adolescence, victims of sexual
  abuse may become sexually active at a relatively
  young age, or even promiscuous, may abuse drugs
  and alcohol, and may have suicidal thoughts and
  tendencies

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Sexual Orientation

• Determinants of sexual orientation
• biological factors largely determine sexual
  orientation
• abnormal levels of androgens during prenatal
  development, or at any other time in development,
  influence sexual orientation
• an area in the hypothalamus governing sexual
  behavior is about twice as large in heterosexual
  men as in homosexual men

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• Researchers looking for a genetic contribution to
  sexual orientation suggest that a number of
  feminizing genes work together to shift male
  brain development in the female direction
• If one twin is gay or lesbian, the other is more
  likely to be
• Adult homosexuals report feeling that way since
  they were children and having a preference for
  other gender activities

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Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Infections that are spread primarily through
  intimate sexual contact
• Each year about 12 million Americans contract a
  sexually transmitted disease, and 56 million
  Americans one in five already have been
  infected with an incurable STD-causing virus
  other than HIV

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• Bacterial STDscan be cured
• Chlamydia
• The most common bacterial STD found in both
  sexes, and one that can cause infertility in
  females
• Men with chlamydia are likely to have symptoms
  that alert them to the need for treatment, but
  they suffer no adverse reproductive consequences
  from the infection
• Women typically have only mild symptoms or no
  symptoms at all when chlamydia begins in the
  lower reproductive tract

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• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• An infection in the female pelvic organs, which
  can result from untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea
  and can cause pain, scarring of tissue, and even
  infertility or ectopic pregnancy
• Gonorrhea
• An STD that, in males, causes a pus-like
  discharge from the penis if untreated, females
  can develop pelvic inflammatory disease and
  possible infertility
• Can be cured with antibiotics

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• Syphilis
• An STD that progresses through three stages if
  untreated, it can eventually be fatal
• Has been linked to the use of illicit drugs,
  particularly crack, because addicts often
  exchange sex for drugs
• Left untreated, syphilis progresses in
  predictable stages
• A pregnant woman in any stage of syphilis will
  infect the fetus

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• Viral STDs
• Unlike the bacterial infections, the viral
  infections are incurable
• Genital warts
• Growths that are caused by human papillomavirus
  (HPV), that often resemble cauliflower, and that
  are most often found in the genital and anal
  regions
• also believed to contribute to cervical cancer
• HPVs may be linked to 85 or more of the cervical
  cancer cases in the United States

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• Genital herpes
• An STD caused by the herpes simplex virus that
  results in painful blisters on the genitals
  presently incurable, the infection usually recurs
  and is highly contagious during outbreaks
• The type 2 herpes virus produces 80 90 of the
  cases of genital herpes and is transmitted
  through direct contact with infected genitals
• The type 1 virusthe one that is more commonly
  associated with cold sores and fever blisters in
  the mouthcan also cause genital herpes and can
  be transmitted via oral or genital sex

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• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• A devastating and incurable illness that is
  caused by HIV and progressively weakens the
  bodys immune system, leaving the person
  vulnerable to opportunistic infections that
  usually cause death
• According to the World Health Organization,
  worldwide statistics are that almost 6 million
  people have died from AIDS and 28 million people
  are infected with HIV
• AIDS is caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency
  virus, often referred to as the AIDS virus

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• HIV attacks the immune system until it becomes
  essentially nonfunctional
• The diagnosis of AIDS is made when the immune
  system is so damaged that victims develop rare
  forms of cancer, pneumonia, or other so-called
  opportunistic infections
• Before developing a full-blown case of AIDS, some
  people develop less severe immune-system symptoms
  such as unexplained fevers, chronic diarrhea, and
  weight loss

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• Transmission of AIDS
• Researchers believe that HIV is transmitted
  primarily through the exchange of blood, semen,
  or vaginal secretions during sexual contact or
  when IV drug users share contaminated needles or
  syringes

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• Protection against sexually transmitted diseases
• The only two foolproof ways to protect oneself
  from becoming infected with a sexually
  transmitted disease through intimate sexual
  contact are
• Abstain from sexual contact
• Have a mutually faithful relationship with a
  partner free of infection
• Discharges, blisters, sores, rashes, warts,
  odors, or any other unusual symptoms are warning
  signs of sexually transmitted diseases
• The potential for risky sexual behavior is
  increased when people are under the influence of
  alcohol and other drugs