Baumeister & Tice Chapter 6 Erotic Plasticity

Nature & Nurture  Sexual revolution l Dramatic change in sexual climate l Bigger change for females - why?  Nurture: Social constructivists  Nature: Essentialists l Mix may differ for males & females

Erotic Plasticity  Responsivity of sex drive to social forces l Cultural, political, situational forces change sex l Female sex drive more erotically plastic  Flexibility l Adaptive l Increases vulnerability

Erotic Plasticity  Predictions l 1. Females will change more over time l 2. Social Vs have stronger impact on females l 3. Less consistency between attitudes-behavior among females

Prediction 1: Changes Over Time  Kinsey, Masters & Johnson l ‘discontinuities in total outlet’(Kinsey, 1948) l ‘mercurial tendency to shift rapidly from peak to valley’ (Masters & Johnson, 1966)  Masturbation & orgasm l Male: Consistent activity l Female: Inconsistent (high v. NO activity)

Prediction 1: Changes Over Time  Sexual orientation l 4/5 lesbians had heterosexual sex (1/2 gays) l More bisexual females than males l Mate swapping (75% females have sex, 1% males) l More females adopt a lesbian orientation in prison  Overall extant data supports prediction 1

Prediction 2: Social & Cultural Influences  Sexual revolution l Female virginity, promiscuity more impacted 20% increase in females w/ > 5 partners (11% for males)  Education increases liberal sexuality l Effects much larger for females Educated women 2x more likely to have performed oral sex (educated males 1/3x more likely) College education 9x increased chance of being gay for females, 2x for males

Class data (03) (N = 102)  Pearson correlation l Linear association between 2 Vs l Positive = higher/lower scores on 1 V associated w/ higher/lower scores on other V EX: Studying hours & GPA  Correlated age year w/ views of sex l Expect older, more education less wrong

Class data (03) (N = 102) Higher sores < wrong AgeYear Sex < * Homosexual.04.23** Prostitution.26**.24** * p <.05. **p <.01.  More educated less wrong one viewed sex! l Stronger among females?

Class data (03) (Females = 73) Year Higher sores < wrong MalesFemales Sex < 16.54**.01 Homosexual.07.35** Prostitution.08.40** Pornography † † p <.08. **p <.01.

Prediction 2: Social & Cultural Influences  Peers, parents more strongly impact female  Genes should more strongly predict male l Heritability for age of first intercourse 72% for males, 40% for females l Homosexuality: Genetic evidence stronger for males  Overall extant data supports prediction 2

Prediction 3: Attitudes & Behavior  Consistency an issue in Social Psychology l A-B problem, situational features intervene Erotic plasticity suggests less consistency  Infidelity Correlation attitudes &behavior weaker for females  Homosexual behavior l Males who desire: 85% did, only 1/2 females  Overall extant data supports prediction 3

Summary  Males less erotically plastic as adults l Exception: More impacted by social factors as children  Females more erotically plastic in adolescence & throughout adulthood l Why?

Erotic Plasticity: Male Power  Women have to adapt to male sexuality l Supportive evidence WOULD be greater flexibility in other aspects of functioning also l No clear evidence yet

Erotic Plasticity: Female Changes  Female sexual role involves more changes l Females more cautious & initial attitude is NO l Human reproduction depends on female changing her mind Psychological capacity for sexual change evolved l Submission fantasies common & arousing among females NO! -> pleasurable YES!

Reaction Paper III: Plasticity  What is erotic plasticity? What are some implications of the gender difference in erotic plasticity for romantic relationships?  PLEASE TURN THIS IN AFTER CLASS!

Implications  Easier to change female sexuality l AIDS, sex therapy  Sexual self-understanding hard for females l Sexual decision making harder for females  Relationships challenging & flexible  Homosexuality l Males (self-acceptance) l Females (continual revision)

Conclusion  Females are more erotically plastic than men l Their sexuality more responsive to social influences, changes more over time & yields weaker A-B connections  Unclear why l May be due to male power or evolved change- ability in female sexuality  Implications