PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Kansas State University
www.ksu.edu/psych
Psychology 580, Spring 2006 Reference #21550
Exam 2 Study Qs
Study Questions – Chapter 5BT, Ellis & Symons
1. What is sex drive? How is it related to similar constructs like capacity and enjoyment? How do the genders differ on capacity and enjoyment?
2. Describe the evidence suggesting that women have a weaker sex drive than men. How convincing is this evidence? How are the fantasies of men and women different (Ellis & Symons) and how do men and women differ in their willingness to have sex with a stranger (Clark & Hatfield)? Given this evidence why do you think some believe that women actually have a stronger sex drive?
3. Describe the various theories of the gender difference in sex drive including socio-biological explanations and cultural explanations (e.g., SET). How do differences in fantasy content (e.g., active v. passive) relate to these theories? Why might women have more submission fantasies than men?
4. Describe the evolutionary biological view of sexuality and female sexuality in particular. What caused the development of sexuality? What is sperm warfare and how is it important to gender differences in sexuality?
5. Describe how routine sex, the cervical filter, masturbation, orgasms and infidelity relate to female sexuality (including necessary details about each). What picture of female sexuality does this paint? Are females really uninterested in sex?
6. Has female sexuality been suppressed? Describe the 2 null and 2 conspiracy theories regarding the causes (and existence) of such suppression. What are the problems and advantages of each theory? How is the social exchange theory important here? What are victim feminism and agentic feminism?
7. Describe the research on power differences, influences on adolescent and adult female sexuality , infibulation, prostitution and pornography, fakery and the sexual revolution. What conclusions can be drawn? Which conspiracy theory does the extant evidence appear to support?
Study Questions – Chapter 3BT
1. How is self-esteem (SE) related to sexual practices? Why is self-acceptance important here? What are the possible causal explanations for these correlations?
2. What is the sociometer and how is it related to social popularity and SE? What is the role of the need to belong and how is all this relevant for sexual behavior? Is SE directly related to sexual behavior?
3. How might having sex impact SE? Would this have the same impact for males and females? Describe the conquest mentality and how SE is related to sexual frequency for men and women (e.g., Stud v. Slut). How is this mentality explained by social exchange, evolutionary and social construction theories? Based on these theories and the relevance of factors such as status and attention, what kind of conquest might increase a woman’s SE?
4. How is SE related to sex appeal? What is the association between SE and physical appearance? Are high SE people more attractive or do they just think they are? How is this relevant for the body image and gender differences in SE?
5. What is the thinness craze? Describe evidence suggesting there is a thinness craze. How might such an obsession impact one’s SE and sexuality? Why might be causing this obsession with thinness? Is it caused by men, the media, or something else? How do the authors explain it?
6. Is SE related to virginity and sexual refusal? How is this relationship different for men and women?
7. Americans appear to like themselves quite a bit, even holding various positive illusions about their good qualities, abilities and control. How are such positive illusions, common among high SE people, related to perceived sexual risks and sexual behavior? What is the illusion of invulnerability and what is its role in sexual risk taking?
8. What is the inner spectator or self-awareness and how is it involved with sexual performance, self-regulation and sexual behaviors? Why are controlled, conscious efforts not always conducive to good sex?
9. How does alcohol impact self-awareness? Does it make you want to have homosexual sex or to be tied up and spanked? What is it role in sexual behavior including infidelity and rape?
Internet cites:
Playmate statistics from 1954
http://members.home.net/sedford/pmdatamain.html
Miss America article
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/missamerica000322.html
Study Questions – Chapter 6BT
1. Describe the concept of erotic plasticity. What does it mean to say that women have higher erotic plasticity? How can this be viewed as mal/adaptive?
2. Describe the 3 predictions regarding erotic plasticity.
3. Summarize the relevant evidence regarding the first prediction (e.g., Kinsey, masturbation, sex in marriage, etc.). Is this prediction supported by the evidence?
4. Summarize the relevant evidence regarding the second prediction (e.g., sexual revolution, acculturation, education, religion, etc.). Is this prediction supported by the evidence?
5. Summarize the relevant evidence regarding the third prediction (e.g., infidelity, condom use, etc.). Is this prediction supported by the evidence?
6. Describe how childhood experiences impact the sexuality of males v. females. Overall what is the trajectory of sexual flexibility across the lifespan for males v. females (i.e., who is most flexible when)?
7. Summarize the major explanations (and relevant evidence) for the gender difference in erotic plasticity including: Double standard, male power, mild female sex drive, and female changeability.
Study Questions – Chapter 8BT
1. Describe the male sex drive. How has it evolved to fight sperm warfare? Describe how penis anatomy, thrusting & rapid orgasm, routine sex & topping off, masturbation, infidelity & jealousy are important for fighting sperm warfare. Include a discussion of the nature of sperm.
2. What does it mean to say that males are sexually starving? What is the adaptation level effect? How is this related to the sexual fate of males? Is ongoing sexual satisfaction possible for males? Why/why not? How does this relate to sexual boredom and risky sexual behavior?
3. How are social comparison processes important for the sexual satisfaction of males (especially single v. married) and feelings of relative deprivation?
4. Describe the research by Glass et al. (1969). What is the panic button effect? Why don’t women pay for sex and how does not having a panic button impact male sexuality?
5. What is the impact of a relationship on male sexual satisfaction? Are these men getting all the sex they want? What about the women in relationships?
6. What evolutionary forces may have produced individual differences in male sex drive (i.e., why aren’t all men highly promiscuous by nature)? What are r and K reproductive strategies?
7. What are the implications of the male and female sex drives for managing a successful relationship? What suggestions do the authors?
Study Questions – Carroll Chapter 3
1. Describe the difference between sex and gender.
2. What is gender identity and how does it relate to gender roles? What behaviors and characteristics fit typical masculine and feminine gender roles?
3. How does the social learning approach explain gender identity formation? What evidence supports this account? What are gender roles and what role do they play? Do they seem to be biologically hard-wired or are they more culturally influenced?
4. What is the story being told about sexuality by the media, especially music videos? How are some intersexed infants treated? How successful are those treatments?
5. How do biological accounts explain gender identity formation? How do prenatal hormones impact the development of reproductive organs and the brain? How do brains of XX and XYs differ from each other? Are all these differences likely caused by biology?
6. Describe the various syndromes of atypical prenatal sex differentiation (Table 3.2). How do they illustrate the difference between sex and gender? What can we learn from these syndromes about the role of biology & social learning in the formation of a gender identity?
7. Describe the various theories on how Gender Hierarchies develop.
8. How does Fausto-Sterling conceptualize gender? What are the five sexes she discusses? Why does she argue for five? What are prejudice, social categorization, and the out-group homogeneity effect and their relevance for intersexuality?
9. What is a transsexual? How does this dimension relate to sexual orientation? Are transsexuals gay? What may cause transsexualism? Is there any support for these various theories? How is this typically treated? Describe this process. How successful are those treatments?
Gender related web sites:
American Psychological Association, Division 35 – Psychology of Women
http://www.apa.org/about/division.html#d35
Addresses current issues related to women, gender, and sexuality from a feminist perspective. This site represents one of two APA division web sites that directly focuses on gender issues.
American Psychological Association, Division 51 – The Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity
http://web.indstate.edu/spsmm
This site focuses on the changing roles of men from a feminist perspective and represents one of two APA divisional web sites that focuses on gender issues.
Center for the Advancement of Public Policy
www.feminist.com
This Web page presents the Washington Feminist Faxnet, a report on current policy issues and legislation affecting women.
MensNet
http://infoweb.magi.com/-mensnet/
This network posits a “pro-feminist, gay affirmative, anti-racist, male positive men” perspective,” and offers information on men and gender as well as male sexuality.
National Coalition of Free Men (NCFM)
www.ncfm.org/
The site provides information about the coalition and focuses on sex discrimination and its effects on men.
National Organization for Women (NOW)
www.now.org
This site provides information about NOW as well as information which focuses on issues affecting women and gender discrimination.
The World Wide Web Virtual Library: The Men’s Issues Page
www.vix.com/men/index.html
Offers a series of Web pages for men’s organizations as well as provides resources relevant to various men’s organizations and issues.
Transgender Forum
www.tgforum.com
This site provides information about and links to information regarding transgender issues and intersexuality.
The Celibate FAQ
Mail.bris.ac.uk/~plmlp/celibate.html
Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA)
www.hbigda.org
1300 S. 2nd St.,
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(612) 625-1500
Gender Dysphoria
www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m201/colem001/hbigda/hindex.htm
Devoted to the study and treatment of gender dysphoria, providing excellent links to related sites.
Androgyny and Gender Dialectics
www.math.uio.no/~thomas/gnd/androgyny.html
By Thomas Gramstad
Ingersoll Gender Center
www.ingersollcenter.org
1812 E. Madison
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 329-6651
Provides open and specialty groups for individuals confronting gender issues.
International Foundation for Gender Education
www.ifge.org
P.O. Box 540229
Waltham, MA 02454-00229
(781) 899-2212
Promotes the freedom of expression and gender identity.
Feminist Majority Foundation Online
www.feminist.org
1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 801
Arlington, VA 22209
Examines various areas that women are interested in by being “conscious-raisers”.
Global Reproductive Health Forum
www.hsph.harvard.edu/grhf/
Run out of Harvard, this Forum exists to encourage democratic discussions about reproductive health, rights, and gender.
http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/gnd/androgyny.html This site is dedicated to alternative and controversial views on gender, it has interesting links that contain research studies, theories and opinions.
http://www.ingersollcenter.org/ . Provides information and links to opinions, publications and services for the transsexual, transgender and transvestite individuals.
http://www.abacon.com/companion/rathus/041800/chap06/chap06.htm#head01 Gender Identity and gender roles.
http://www.unc.edu/~lorelei/sexroles.html Biological and Sociocultural views and consequences of gender stereotyping.
http://www.bigby.u-net.com/arch/sexism/index.html Sexism, suffrage and the women's movement.