1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences January 27 Lecture 41

2 Office Hour Invitations January 31, 11:30-2:30, Kenny

3 Announcement Psychology 320 is partnering with the College of Health Disciplines to offer students the opportunity to participate in “Parisian Salons.” The first Parisian Salon of the term is scheduled on: Date: January 28 Location: Mahony and Sons Time: 5:30-7:00 Topic: Sexual health Registration: Questions?

A little R&R …. (Review and Reflect) 4

5 2. Are there sex differences in attitudes about sex? Sexuality 1. What methods do researchers use to study human sexuality? (continued) 3. Are there sex differences in the desire for sex?

6 By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 2. identify methodological problems associated with self-report research on human sexuality. 1. review the findings of Masters and Johnson’s observational research on human sexuality. 3. identify sex similarities and differences in attitudes about sex.

7 4. discuss the relationship between gender equality and sex differences in attitudes about sex. 5. identify trends across time in sexual attitudes among males and females. 6. contrast explicit and implicit attitudes regarding the double standard. 7. review research regarding sex differences in the desire for sex.

8 What methods do researchers use to study human sexuality? (continued)

9 Notable exception: Masters and Johnson (1966)  Dispelled the “myth” of the vaginal orgasm; a continued subject of debate.  Identified four phases of the sexual response in humans: Excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution.  Demonstrated the occurrence of multiple orgasms in females.

10 The bulk of contemporary research on human sexuality employs self-report data. Self-report research on sexuality is susceptible to several problems:

11 1. Inaccurate recall of events. 2. Inaccurate estimation of frequencies. 3. Biased samples. 4. Socially desirable responding: 17% of female and 21% of male students report responding dishonestly to questions regarding sexuality (Siegal et al., 1998).

12 1. Peterson and Hyde (2010)  Examined data from 834 papers; approximately 1.5 million participants worldwide: Recent meta-analyses have identified sex similarities and differences with respect to attitudes about sex. Are there sex differences in attitudes about sex?

Attituded Extramarital sex.01 Intercourse—engaged.02 Homosexuality: Lesbians-.02 Masturbation.02 Acceptability of double standard.10 Premarital sex.17 Intercourse—committed-.18 Homosexuality: Gay men-.18 Anxiety, fear, guilt-.19 Gay rights-.20 Sexual permissiveness.21 Intercourse—casual Sex Comparisons for Attitudes About Sex (Peterson & Hyde, 2010)

14  Also found that: (a) sex differences are larger for older samples than younger samples. (b) measures of gender equality (e.g., GEM) are negatively correlated with sex differences in attitudes about sex.

15 2. Wells and Twenge (2005)  Examined data from 530 papers; 269,649 participants.  Found that: (a) attitudes regarding premarital sex have become more permissive across time for both sexes, with greater change occurring among females. (b) guilt scores associated with sexuality have decreased across time for females, but not males.

Mean Percent Approval of Premarital Sex Across Time (Wells and Twenge, 2005) 16

17 Petersen and Hyde (2010) found a small sex difference in the endorsement of the double standard. However, measures taken under “cognitive load” (i.e., implicit measures) suggest that both sexes endorse the double standard: Explicit measures suggest that both sexes do not endorse the double standard.

Number of Sexual Partners Evaluation Evaluation of Female and Male Targets as a Function of Number of Sexual Partners, Under “Cogntive Load” (Marks, 2008) 18

19 Are there sex differences in the desire for sex? Baumeister, Catanese, and Vohs (2001) argue that males have a stronger sex drive than females. Studies that support Baumeister et al.’s argument include (in chronological order):

20  Wives desire intercourse less often than husbands (Kinsey et al., 1948, 1953; Ard, 1977).  Females rate their sexual urges as less strong than males (Mercer & Kohn, 1979).  Females seek out fewer extramarital partners than males (Lawson, 1988).

21  Males (4.5 per day) report more frequent sexual urges than females (2 per day; Jones & Barlow, 1990).  Females are more likely than males to cite lack of interest and enjoyment as a reason for not having sex (Leigh, 1989).  More males (50%) than females (19%) report thinking about sex every day (Laumann et al., 1994).

22  More males (83%) than females (63%) describe sex as being important to them (Pfizer, 2002).  Frequency of sexual activity is highest in gay male couples, intermediate in heterosexual couples, and lowest in lesbian couples (Herek, 2006).  Females initiate sex less often and refuse sex more often than males (Baumeister, 2000).

23 By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 2. identify methodological problems associated with self-report research on human sexuality. 1. review the findings of Masters and Johnson’s observational research on human sexuality. 3. identify sex similarities and differences in attitudes about sex.

24 4. discuss the relationship between gender equality and sex differences in attitudes about sex. 5. identify trends across time in sexual attitudes among males and females. 6. contrast explicit and implicit attitudes regarding the double standard. 7. review research regarding sex differences in the desire for sex.