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 lovers 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 womenbut
  less so around ovulation
• Androstenol necklaces increased womens 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
Kaplans 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 Johnsons 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