Psych 355 Human Sexuality Exam #1

Clinical (defining normal)

EX: something is abnormal when it causes distress and impairment of the individual, according to the DSM

Sexual identity

how we identify (more about self-perception and how we label ourselves)

Divergent validity

the new measure is not related to constructs it shouldn't be related to

Statistical (defining normal)

try to base definition on percentages and statistics

Sexual minority

umbrella term meaning anyone who is not heterosexual

Test-retest reliability

when retested, the results are similar

Masters & Johnson

Found that physiologically, male and female sexual responses are very similar, and demonstrated that women experience orgasm primarily through clitoral stimulation, as well as recolutionizing sex therapy by treating sexual problems simply as difficulties that could be treated using behavioral therapy

Bosson et al.

Studied aggression levels with different activities(masculine/feminine/neutral) and found that who chose to do the punching activity first didn't differ based on what activity they did, that those who had the hair-styling activity punched harder, and that expressing aggression lead to lower anxiety levels in those that had their masculinity threatened

YRBS

The Youth Risk Behavior Study, conducted biennially since 1991, is a large, national, school-based study of the health behaviors of adolescents. Behaviors related to sexuality and risk taking are assessed, and this can be generalized to the population

Random sample

a sample collected in an unbiased way, with the selection of each member of the sample based solely on chance

stereotype

a set of simplistic, rigidly held, overgeneralized beliefs about a particular type of individual or group of people, an idea, etc., resistant to change, and often negative

Representative sample

a small group representing the larger group in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, etc. EX: If the population is 50% women, your study should contain 50% women

Meta-analysis

adding together all of the research on a certain subject in order to form a more complete, accurate view/data set

Fallacy

an error in reasoning that affects our understanding of a subject, leading us to false or erroneous conclusion

Clinical trial

broad term, can include RCT or could have small samples without control groups, which isn't as reliable or generalizable

Inter-rater reliability

consistency/agreement among raters

Klein

developed seven component variables of sexual orientation(A-G), including a person's past, their present, and their ideal

Plethysmographs

devices that measure physiological changes(sexual arousal) in genitals

Sexual orientation

emotional and sexual attraction (more about behavior)

Twenge, Sherman, & Wells (2016)

examined changes in same-sex behavior and found that the percentage of people who reported engaging in same-sex behavior increased from 1989 to 2014

Leichliter et al. (2007)

examined oral and anal sex among heterosexual adolescents and adults, found that 4% less women reported engaging in anal sex than men, slightly less women reported receiving oral sex, and 1% more women reported performing oral sex

Kinsey

father of sex research, discovered diversity in sexual behaviors(scale), found that masturbation is: harmless, distinct from sexual pleasure, and is important for women

construct validity

how accurately the measurement represents the construct you are trying to measure

Ideal (defining normal)

individual sets ideal for themselves based on philosophical beliefs, which are not always reached by that person, and can lead to feelings of shame

Criterion Validity

internally consistent, has construct validity, and predicts something important

content validity

items adequately cover the domain of interest, defined by expert consensus

Testosterone

male sex hormone, produced in the testes, and adrenal glands, stimulates sperm production in testes, triggers development of secondary sex characteristics, and regulates sex drive

Precarious manhood

manhood, when compared to womanhood, is more socially ascribed, social status of manhood has to be earned, and manhood is easily lost

Cross-sectional

measure multiple groups at one point in time, and is good when we are first exploring a phenomenon

Longitudinal

measure one group over time so you can look at how things change/don't change over a period of time

Convergent validity

new measure is highly related to already established measures in the literature that it should be related to

Master's and Johnson model of sexual response

o Excitement - serotonin is released, adrenaline is released, heartrate starts to accelerate, dopamine is increased, pupils idalate o Plateau - muscle tension, norepinephrine increases, increasing sensitivity, legs, hands and feet may spasm o Orgasm - intense pleasurable waves, oxytocin level peaks o Resolution - sexual arousal decreases, contractions stop, muscles relax

Beliefs/worldview

opinion, unverifiable, can't be proven or dis proven EX: PSY 355 is the best course ever offered in the history of SDSU

Informed consent

people are free to decide, without coercion, whether to participate in a research study, following the full disclosure of the study purpose and the potential risks and benefits of being a participant

RCT

randomized control trial, where randomization and control groups are utilized (can produce valid results)

Osterberg et al.

researched pubic hair correlation with STIs, and found that non-groomers had less prevalence of STIs than groomers, non-extreme groomers have less prevalence than extreme groomers, and that there is not a significant difference between low and high frequency grooming in STI rates

Internal consistency

results are the same across similar measures for a single participant

Gender

socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a society considers appropriate for men and women

Menstruation

stage in menstrual cycle where the outer layer of the endometrium becomes detached from the uterine wall

Savic, Berglund, & Lindström

studied pheromones and sexual orientation, and found that gay men and heterosezual women were aroused by AND (a testosterone-based pheromone), and heterosexual men responded to EST (estrogen based pheromone)

Lever, Frederick, & Peplau (2006)

studied satisfaction with penis sizes, and found that most women are very satisfied with their partner's penis size, but 45% of men desired larger penises

Experimental

systematic manipulation of individuals or the environment to learn the effects of such manipulation on behavior, through randomization, using IVs and DVs

Ethnocentric fallacy

the belief that ones own group is inherently better than other groups EX: stereotyping other cultures as "primitive," "innocent," "inferior," or "not as advanced."

Gender inversion theory

the idea that gay individuals are more similar to the opposite sex (in theory but not reality)

Egocentric fallacy

the incorrect belief that other people share your values/beliefs/thoughts

Confirmation bias

the tendency to seek out information to confirm what we already believe, and ignore/filter out the information that contradicts it EX: might lead one to interpret the results of their study based on what they already thought/predicted

Spitzer (2003)

tried to determine if gay men could change their sexual orientation, concluded that they can, but it wasn't representative of the population AND there was no way to actually measure if they didn't engage in self-deception

Gender minority

umbrella term meaning anyone who is not cis-gender, or anyone who is non-binary

Sexual variation

variety and diversity in sexual behavior (sexual "deviance"), not including circumstances where it harms someone

Fact

verifiable statement, where we can check data to determine its validity EX: 118 students are currently enrolled in PSY 355

Subjective (defining normal)

we use ourselves to determine the example of "normal"

Cultural (defining normal)

what is generally assumed to be typical