Stimulus Preference and Mental Imagery: Influencing the Way Sexual Stimuli are Viewed and the Intensity of Subjective Sexual Arousal

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Boccone
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Stimulus Preference ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Sex Research ◽  
Sexual Stimulation ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Preferred Stimulus

Background: The connection between mental imagery and feelings of presence within a film has not yet been investigated in sex research in relation to observational stance (imagining oneself as either a spectator or participant while viewing a film). Several studies have shown that people who take a participant stance when viewing a sexual film are more likely to report greater subjective sexual arousal (SSA). Research on observational stance has also found that viewing a preferred stimulus is predictive of taking a participant stance. Despite this, very few studies have allowed participants to select their own stimuli. Methodology: Sexual films that were researcher-selected or participant-selected will be presented to women and men, while continuously measuring their SSA. Information will be collected about observational stance and vividness of mental imagery via questionnaires. Expected Results: 1. Greater mental imagery ability will be associated with adopting a participant stance. 2. The relationship between mental imagery ability and taking a participant stance will be stronger for participant-selected sexual stimuli than for researcher-selected sexual stimuli. 3. Taking a participant stance will be associated with greater SSA. 4. The relationship between taking a participant stance and SSA will be stronger for participant-selected sexual stimuli than for researcher-selected stimuli. Conclusions: This project is the first to examine the relationship between mental imagery and observational stance for sexual stimuli, and is among the first to allow participants to self-select stimuli. Results of this project will encourage the development of standardized procedures for providing participants with optimal sexual stimulation.

scholarly journals The Spanish Version of the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS-6): Evidence of Validity of a Short Version

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Ana I. Arcos-Romero ◽  
Cristóbal Calvillo ◽  
Reina Granados ◽  
Ana Álvarez-Muelas ◽  
Juan Carlos Sierra
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Spanish Version ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Opinion Survey ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this work was to provide validity evidences of the short Spanish version of the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS-6). First, a psychometric study was performed to examine the factorial invariance of the scale across different groups. A sample of 1,500 heterosexual adults (50% men, 50% women) from the general Spanish population, aged 18 to 80, was examined. Results showed that the unidimensional model of the SOS-6 is invariant across sex, age range, relationship status, and educational level. Secondly, a laboratory study was performed to determine the relationship between erotophilia and objective and subjective sexual arousal in response to sexual stimuli. The sample consisted of 130 young Spanish university students (46.92% men, 53.08% women) with heterosexual orientation. In men, erotophilia was related to subjective sexual arousal; in women, erotophilia was related to subjective sexual arousal and estimation of genital sensations. In conclusion, this work provides validity evidences of the short version of the SOS-6 and describes the factorial equivalence of the scale across groups and its concurrent validity.

Gender-specific genital and subjective sexual arousal to prepotent sexual stimuli in androphilic men and gynephilic women

2021 ◽  
pp. e20210004
Author(s):  
Nina Micanovic ◽  
Amanda D. Timmers ◽  
Meredith L. Chivers
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Specific Pattern ◽  
Sexual Response ◽  
Sex Characteristics ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
Gender Specific

Marked differences have been found in men’s and women’s sexual response patterns, contingent upon their sexual orientation; androphilic (attracted to men) and gynephilic (attracted to women) men demonstrate greatest genital and self-reported arousal to their preferred stimulus type (a “gender-specific” response), whereas androphilic women do not, and findings for gynephilic women have been mixed. While there have been many investigations into gynephilic men’s and androphilic women’s (i.e., heterosexual men/women) sexual response, there has been less investigation into the specificity of sexual response of androphilic men and gynephilic women. Given the complex nature of sexual stimuli that are used in sexual response research, it is often unclear to what extent contextual cues (e.g., cues other than the sexual actor’s primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, sexual activity, etc.) influence participants’ sexual response patterns. As such, the current study examined genital, discrete self-reported, and continuous self-reported responses of androphilic men ( n = 22) and gynephilic women ( n = 10) to prepotent sexual features (stimuli thought to elicit automatic sexual arousal: erect penises and exposed vulvas), non-prepotent sexual features (flaccid penises and pubic triangles) and neutral stimuli (clothed men and women). Both samples exhibited a gender-specific pattern of genital, self-reported, and continuous self-reported sexual arousal. Similarly, all measures of sexual arousal were generally found to be greatest to “prepotent” sexual cues. Implications for understanding gender specificity of sexual response are discussed.

scholarly journals The Perceived Need To Be Hot: An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Belief In Sexual Stereotypes And Erectile Dysfunction In Gay Men Using Thermal Imaging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Faaborg-Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Thermal Imaging ◽  
Risky Sex ◽  
Automatic Thoughts ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Sexual Stereotypes ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
The Relationship

Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been associated with considerable mental health and interpersonal problems, an increase in risky sex, and is particularly prevalent among gay and bisexual men. Psychological treatment protocols for sexual dysfunctions often aim at challenging beliefs and cognitions about the importance of a “perfect sexual performance,” known as sexual stereotypes. However, to date, little empirical evidence exists for the relationship between ED and belief in sexual stereotypes (BSS). To address this gap, 70 gay men were recruited; 30 with ED and 40 healthy controls. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, including a measure of BSS, followed by having their genital temperature measured using a thermal imaging camera, while viewing a sexually explicit film. The study had four main objectives: (1) to evaluate between group differences in subjective sexual arousal and physiological arousal; (2) to examine within group differences in the effects of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal; (3) to evaluate the relationship between BSS, negative automatic thoughts during sex, and ED; and (4) to evaluate the relationship between ED and risky sex among gay men. Results revealed significant between-group differences in physiological arousal, but not in subjective sexual arousal. While between-group differences were found in BSS, no within-group differences were found in the relation of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal. No significant relationships were found between BSS, negative automatic thoughts, and ED. Participants with ED were found to be significantly more likely to use erectile enhancing drugs, but no significant differences in condom removal were found between groups; however, substantially more individuals with ED (23.3%) reported removing condoms prior to the completion of sexual activity, as compared to healthy controls (5%). Findings of this study contribute to improving psychological treatments for gay men with ED, as well as better understanding pathways leading to risky sex in gay men.

scholarly journals Exploring the relationship between grapheme colour-picking consistency and mental imagery

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1787) ◽  
pp. 20190023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane Spiller ◽  
Lee Harkry ◽  
Fintan McCullagh ◽  
Volker Thoma ◽  
Clare Jonas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Imagery Task ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Proxy Measure ◽  
Potential Link ◽  
The Relationship

Previous research has indicated a potential link between mental imagery and synaesthesia. However, these findings are mainly based on imagery self-report measures and recruitment of self-selected synaesthetes. To avoid issues of self-selection and demand effects, we recruited participants from the general population, rather than synaesthetes specifically, and used colour-picking consistency tests for letters and numbers to assess a ‘synaesthete-like’ experience. Mental imagery ability and mental rotation ability were assessed using both self-report measures and behavioural assessments. Consistency in colour-picking for letters (but not numbers) was predicted by performance on the visual mental imagery task but not by a mental rotation task or self-report measures. Using the consistency score as a proxy measure of grapheme-colour synaesthesia, we provide more evidence for the suggestion that synaesthetic experience is associated with enhanced mental imagery, even when participants are naive to the research topic. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Bridging senses: novel insights from synaesthesia’.

Psychophysiological and subjective sexual arousal to visual sexual stimuli in new women

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori A. Brotto ◽  
Darlynne Gehring ◽  
Carolin Klein ◽  
Boris B Gorzalka ◽  
Sydney Thomson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
New Women ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

scholarly journals Reliability and Validity of a Set of Sexual Stimuli in a Sample of Young Colombian Heterosexual Women

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
M. Gómez-Lugo ◽  
◽  
D. Saavedra-Roa ◽  
C. P. Pérez-Durán ◽  
J. Marchal-Bertrand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
External Validity ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Affective Responses ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
Film Clips ◽  
Colombian Women

Objective: The aim of this research is to validate a set of sexual stimuli in young heterosexual Colombian women. Present study examined women’s sexual and affective responses to sexual film clips. Design and Method: Six videos of 6:00 minute-long were used. A total of 24 women were assessed. Objective (photoplethysmograph) and subjective (Multidimensional Scale to Assess Subjective Sexual Arousal) sexual arousal were measured. Also the Self-Assessment Manikin, and some socio-psycho-sexual questions were used. Results: The results showed three sexual excerpts which were clearly superior to the others. These three sexual excerpts generated internally consistent measurements; moreover, good indicators of external validity have been observed with statistically significant differences as expected. Conclusions: It has been shown that with healthy young women these three stimuli produce objective sexual arousal.

scholarly journals Recovery of Motor Imagery Ability in Stroke Patients

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sjoerd de Vries ◽  
Marga Tepper ◽  
Bert Otten ◽  
Theo Mulder
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Mental Practice ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Motor Functioning ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Implicit Motor ◽  
The Relationship

Objective. To investigate whether motor imagery ability recovers in stroke patients and to see what the relationship is between different types of imagery and motor functioning after stroke.Methods. 12 unilateral stroke patients were measured at 3 and 6 weeks poststroke on 3 mental imagery tasks. Arm-hand function was evaluated using the Utrecht Arm-Hand task and the Brunnström Fugl-Meyer Scale. Age-matched healthy individuals (N=10) were included as controls.Results. Implicit motor imagery ability and visual motor imagery ability improved significantly at 6 weeks compared to 3 weeks poststroke.Conclusion. Our study shows that motor imagery can recover in the first weeks after stroke. This indicates that a group of patients who might not be initially selected for mental practice can, still later in the rehabilitation process, participate in mental practice programs. Moreover, our study shows that mental imagery modalities can be differently affected in individual patients and over time.

What Are Confident Athletes Imaging?: An Examination of Image Content

1996 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra E. Moritz ◽  
Craig R. Hall ◽  
Kathleen A. Martin ◽  
Eva Vadocz
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression Analysis ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Visual Imagery ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Image Content ◽  
Hierarchical Multiple Regression ◽  
Mastery Experiences ◽  
Sport Skills ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the advocacy of a confidence-enhancing function of mental imagery, the relationship between confidence and imagery has received little attention from sport researchers. The primary purpose of the present study was to identify the specific image content of confident athletes. Fifty-seven elite competitive rollerskaters completed the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (MIQ-R), the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ), and the State Sport Confidence Inventory (SSCI). Results revealed that high sport-confident athletes used more mastery and arousal imagery, and had better kinesthetic and visual imagery ability than low sport-confident athletes did. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that mastery imagery accounted for the majority of variance in SSCI scores (20%). The results of this study suggest that when it comes to sport confidence, the imaged rehearsal of specific sport skills may not be as important as the imagery of sport-related mastery experiences and emotions.

scholarly journals Association between Psychopathological Dimensions and Sexual Functioning/Sexual Arousal in Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3584
Author(s):  
Franklin Soler ◽  
Reina Granados ◽  
Ana I. Arcos-Romero ◽  
Cristóbal Calvillo ◽  
Ana Álvarez-Muelas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

Psychological-psychiatric factors have a different effect on sexual functioning in men and women. This research aimed to examine the association between psychopathological dimensions and dimensions of sexual functioning in Spanish young adults in two studies. Study 1 examined sexual functioning and psychopathological dimensions in 700 women and 516 men. Study 2 conducted an experimental laboratory task to evaluate subjective sexual arousal and genital sensations when watching visual sexual stimuli in a subsample of participants from Study 1 (143 women and 123 men). As a result, the first study showed that depression and anxiety-related symptoms had a negative effect, both in men and women, and having a partner had a positive influence on the dimensions of sexual functioning. The second study showed that anxiety symptoms were positively associated with subjective sexual arousal in both men and women, and anxiety was associated with the assessment of genital sensations in men. The differences between the results of anxiety may be explained because sexual arousal was evaluated in general terms in Study 1, whereas it was evaluated as a state in Study 2. These findings confirm that the presence of psychopathological symptoms contributes to sexual functioning, as well as the necessity of strengthening mental illness prevention programs that include sexual health components.

scholarly journals The Perceived Need To Be Hot: An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Belief In Sexual Stereotypes And Erectile Dysfunction In Gay Men Using Thermal Imaging

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Faaborg-Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Thermal Imaging ◽  
Risky Sex ◽  
Automatic Thoughts ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Sexual Stereotypes ◽  
Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽  
The Relationship

Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been associated with considerable mental health and interpersonal problems, an increase in risky sex, and is particularly prevalent among gay and bisexual men. Psychological treatment protocols for sexual dysfunctions often aim at challenging beliefs and cognitions about the importance of a “perfect sexual performance,” known as sexual stereotypes. However, to date, little empirical evidence exists for the relationship between ED and belief in sexual stereotypes (BSS). To address this gap, 70 gay men were recruited; 30 with ED and 40 healthy controls. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, including a measure of BSS, followed by having their genital temperature measured using a thermal imaging camera, while viewing a sexually explicit film. The study had four main objectives: (1) to evaluate between group differences in subjective sexual arousal and physiological arousal; (2) to examine within group differences in the effects of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal; (3) to evaluate the relationship between BSS, negative automatic thoughts during sex, and ED; and (4) to evaluate the relationship between ED and risky sex among gay men. Results revealed significant between-group differences in physiological arousal, but not in subjective sexual arousal. While between-group differences were found in BSS, no within-group differences were found in the relation of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal. No significant relationships were found between BSS, negative automatic thoughts, and ED. Participants with ED were found to be significantly more likely to use erectile enhancing drugs, but no significant differences in condom removal were found between groups; however, substantially more individuals with ED (23.3%) reported removing condoms prior to the completion of sexual activity, as compared to healthy controls (5%). Findings of this study contribute to improving psychological treatments for gay men with ED, as well as better understanding pathways leading to risky sex in gay men.

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