scholarly journals Visual attention and sexual arousal in women with and without sexual dysfunction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Velten ◽  
Sonia Milani ◽  
Jürgen Margraf ◽  
Lori Anne Brotto
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Clinical Group ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Genital Area ◽  
Total Fixation

Attending to sexual stimuli is an important means to facilitate sexual arousal and is thereby relevant for healthy sexual functioning. Studies suggest that sexual dysfunction is associated with less attention towards sexual stimuli. The goal of this study was to use an eye-tracking-based free-viewing paradigm to investigate whether women with sexual dysfunction visually attend to the genital area in dynamic sexual stimuli (i.e., erotic videos) differently than women with subclinical sexual function or those with normal sexual functioning. A total of 69 women (Mage = 27.77, SD = 8.00) with clinical (n = 30), subclinical (n = 23), and normal (n = 16) levels of sexual functioning watched four 1-min video clips depicting heterosexual couples engaging in vaginal intercourse or cunnilingus while the total fixation duration on the genital area as well as their subjective and genital sexual arousal were recorded. As hypothesized, the clinical group fixated on the genital area less than women with normal sexual functioning. A longer total fixation duration on the genital area was followed by increases in subjective arousal and genital arousal. The relationship between attention and arousal was not moderated by sexual functioning group. This study provides first evidence of the role of sustained visual attention for facilitating sexual arousal in women with and without sexual dysfunction.

scholarly journals Visual Attention and Sexual Function in Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Milani ◽  
Samantha J. Dawson ◽  
Julia Velten
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Sexual Response ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Sexual Stimuli

Abstract Purpose of Review Theoretical models situate attention as integral to the onset and regulation of sexual response and propose that problems with sexual response and subsequent sexual dysfunction result from insufficient attentional processing of sexual stimuli. The goal of this paper is to review literature examining the link between attentional processing of sexual stimuli and sexual function in women. Specifically, we sought to understand whether women with and without sexual dysfunction differ in their visual attention to sexual stimuli and examined the link with sexual response, which would support attention as a mechanism underlying sexual dysfunction. Recent Findings Across women with and without sexual concerns, sexual stimuli are preferentially attended to relative to nonsexual stimuli, suggesting that sexual stimuli are more salient than nonsexual stimuli. Differences between women with and without sexual dysfunction emerge when examining visual attention toward the most salient features of sexual stimuli (e.g., genital regions depicting sexual activity). Consistent with theoretical models, visual attention and sexual response are related, such that increasing attention to sexual cues facilitates sexual arousal, whereas reduced attention to sexual stimuli appears to suppress sexual arousal, which may contribute to sexual difficulties in women. Summary Taken together, the research supports the role of visual attention in sexual response and sexual function. These findings provide empirical support for interventions that target attentional processing of sexual stimuli. Future research is required to further delineate the specific attentional mechanisms involved in sexual response and investigate whether these are modifiable. This knowledge may be beneficial for developing novel psychological interventions targeting attentional processes in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions.

scholarly journals Visual attention and sexual arousal in women with and without sexual dysfunction

2021 ◽  
pp. 103915
Author(s):  
Julia Velten ◽  
Sonia Milani ◽  
Jürgen Margraf ◽  
Lori A. Brotto
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Sexual Arousal

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.

Visual Attention to Sexual Stimuli in Women With Clinical, Subclinical, and Normal Sexual Functioning: An Eye-Tracking Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-155
Author(s):  
Julia Velten ◽  
Sonia Milani ◽  
Jürgen Margraf ◽  
Lori A. Brotto
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Sexual Stimuli

Una nuova disfunzione sessuale femminile: Il Disturbo da Eccitazione Sessuale Persistente (PSAD)

2009 ◽  
pp. 49-65
Author(s):  
Donata Lembo ◽  
Ilaria Prosperi ◽  
Adele Fabrizi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Female Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Arousal Disorder ◽  
Sexual Arousal Disorder

- In 2002 S. Leiblum describes and documents a new female sexual dysfunction, called Persistent Sexual Arousal Disorder (PSAD). The dysfunction is characterized by an excitement that persists for prolonged periods, such as hours, days or weeks. The excitement is not linked to sexual desire and may also be triggered by non sexual stimuli, as mere vibrations; moreover it cannot find a way out in an orgasm, which often proves unsatisfactory. Causes that may contribute to increase female sexual activity, be it egosyntonic or egodistonic, pleasant or disturbing for the couple, are still not appropriately investigated (Leiblum, Graziottin, 2007).

scholarly journals Simple or complex? Consumer response to display signs

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Knuth ◽  
Bridget K. Behe ◽  
Patricia T. Huddleston
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Consumer Response ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
High Complexity ◽  
Total Fixation ◽  
Product Choices ◽  
Retail Signage ◽  
Student Subjects

Retail signage provides information from the marketer to facilitate product purchase. An increase in sign information creates greater sign complexity, which raises the question: for consumer product choices, what quantity of information is helpful versus overwhelming? We hypothesize that consumers would allocate more visual attention to complex signs and that sign complexity would be a predictor of likeliness to buy (LTB). Five experts rated 105 real garden center signs for complexity and five low, moderate, and highcomplexity signs were selected for the study. Signs were incorporated into Tobii X1 Light Eye Tracker software, where 85 non-student subjects rated sign attractiveness and LTB from a display containing that sign. Subjects allocated greater visual attention (higher fixation count and longer total fixation duration) to more complex signs, which were also rated as most attractive. Initial regression results showed sign attractiveness and fixation count were positive predictors of LTB, while complexity and total fixation duration were inversely related to LTB. Mediation analysis showed that fixation duration fully mediates fixation count impact on purchase intention. Results suggest that informationrich messaging in high complexity signs, while seen as attractive, may give consumers too much information and higher cognitive load, which makes decision-making more difficult.

An Eye Tracking Study of the Effect of Sensory and Price In-Store Displays

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-49
Author(s):  
Clarinda Rodrigues ◽  
Amélia Maria Pinto da Cunha Brandão ◽  
António Filipe Teixeira Macedo ◽  
Karthikeyan Baskaran
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Fixation Duration ◽  
Product Choice ◽  
Message Content ◽  
Cognitive Content ◽  
Affective Stimuli ◽  
Total Fixation ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Sensory Imagery

Using eye tracking, this chapter investigates if the visual attention varies according to the in-store displays message content (price, sensory, and price-sensory). Results show that participants are more responsive to cognitive content messages (price) than affective messages (sensory) alone. Nevertheless, it is demonstrated that participants are prone to devote more time processing in-store displays messages if prices (cognitive stimuli) are combined with sensory messages (affective stimuli), which increases the likelihood of choosing low involvement products. Finally, it was demonstrated that total fixation duration is predictive of low involvement product choice for all home décor products. This study suggests that shoppers might spend more time and effort searching for low involvement products if in-store displays captivate their visual attention and elicit their sensory imagery. Sensory messages can be used by retailers to highlight product intrinsic characteristics. At the same time, they are inducing positive feelings towards low-involvement products.

Intrasexual Competition and Sexual Response in Androphilic Women

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Cornett
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Sexual Response ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Information Processing Model ◽  
Sexual Stimuli

Androphilic (sexually attracted to men) women demonstrate genital and self-reported arousal to sexual stimuli of both their preferred and non-preferred genders - a “gender-nonspecific” sexual response (e.g., Chivers et al, 2007). One hypothesis for female non-specific arousal patterns is intrasexual competition (the rivalry among the same sex for mates). Previously intrasexual competition has been operationalized as the level of jealousy a woman feels towards another woman. Intrasexual competition has been found to increase attentional adhesion to same sex stimuli (Maner, Gilliot & Roudy, 2007) The Information Processing Model (IPM; Janssen et al, 2000) posits that visual attention to sexual cues may result in a sexual response. Longer viewing times to same sex stimuli motivated by intrasexual competition (Maner et al., 2007) could therefore lead to an increase in self-reported arousal to non-preferred stimuli. This study explores the relationship between traits associated with intrasexual competition and sexual responding (visual attention and self-reported sexual arousal). Androphilic women are exposed to sexual stimuli varying by gender (preferred, non-preferred) and physical attractiveness level (attractive, unattractive). Visual attention is measured using an eye tracker and sexual arousal is assessed by participant self-report.  Intrasexual competition is operationalized through measures of self-reported jealousy, anger, indirect aggression, and body image. I predict the participants will exhibit greater intrasexual competition after viewing images of attractive women compared to images of unattractive women and men. I also explore visual attention as a mediator between intrasexual competition and self-reported sexual arousal.  Data collection for this project is currently underway. Chivers, M. L., Seto, M. C., & Blanchard, R. (2007). Gender and sexual orientation differences in sexual response to sexual activities versus gender of actors in sexual films. Journal of personality and social psychology, 93(6), 1108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.6.1108 Janssen, E., Everaerd, W., Spiering, M., & Janssen, J. (2000). Automatic processes and the appraisal of sexual stimuli: Toward an information processing model of sexual arousal. Journal of Sex Research, 37(1), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490009552016 Maner, J. K., Gailliot, M. T., Rouby, A., & Miller, S. (2007). Can’t Take My Eyes Off You: Attentional Adhesion to Mates and Rivals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(3), 389–401. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.3.389

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document