Facial Electromyography: A Measure of Affective Processes During Sexual Arousal

Forty female volunteers participated in a study to investigate whether facial EMGs could be used as measures of affect during sexual arousal. Audiotaped narratives were used to induce the following affect-sexual states: 1) pleasant affect + sexual arousal, 2) unpleasant affect + sexual arousal, 3) pleasant affect + no sexual arousal, and 4) unpleasant affect + no sexual arousal. EMG activity was recorded bilaterally from the corrugator and zygomatic muscle regions. Corrugator muscle activity was significantly greater in response to the unpleasant stimulus conditions. This relationship held for both the non-sexual and sexual conditions, suggesting that corrugator muscle activity may provide a reliable index of negative affect during sexual arousal. Zygomatic activity was significantly greater during the sexual as compared to the non-sexual stimuli, but did not increase as a function of pleasant affect. Greater left than right corrugator muscle activity was observed in response to the sexual stimuli. Left muscle superiority was also noted for zygomatic muscle activity, in response to the sexual unpleasant stimulus. Issues related to the interpretation of lateralized muscle activity are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Sexual Arousal Experience and Genital Response

In studies of sexuality, there has been a wide divergence in findings concerning the correlation between the subjective and genital measurements of sexual arousal. The present study is aimed at helping clarify this situation by examining the role of certain factors involved in determining the subjective-genital correlation. Thus, the following study was designed to (1) employ a methodology aimed at improving the correlation between the subjective and genital measurements of arousal in women, and (2) determine the effect of attending to bodily cues upon the subjective-genital relationship. To accomplish this end, 36 female subjects were separated into two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental groups were given instructions suggesting that they attend to either genital or non-genital body signals of sexual arousal while viewing a series of 10 erotic slides. Subjects in the control group were given no attention instructions. Subjective levels of arousal to the erotic slides were scaled by having subjects set the intensity of sound and light to match their intensity of arousal (cross-modality matching) and by using a rating scale. Genital measures of sexual arousal consisted of measurement of vaginal pulse amplitude. Analyses revealed that group computed correlations were very high and that individually computed subjective-genital correlations were highest in the attention groups. Paying attention to bodily cues has a significant and positive effect on the subjective-genital relationship. Possible explanations for these results are given along with a discussion of the role of methodological variables in influencing the genital-subjective correlation. The finding of high levels of correlation raises doubts on the heretofore made assumption of low subjective-genital correlations for women.     

Male Sexual Arousal as a Function of the Content and the Vividness of Erotic Fantasy

Physiological and subjective arousal were measured across 5 sessions, each separated by a day or more, in which males attempted to induce erection through fantasy. Stable individual differences in the capacity to achieve voluntary enhancement of penile tumescence were found. The men who were most able to enhance erection were those who reported the greatest use of sexually arousing fantasy themes. In a second experiment, which employed structured rather than unstructured fantasy, sexual arousal was studied as a function of the content of fantasy and tbe vividness with which participants could form images (as assessed by Beits Q.M.I. Scale). Fantasy themes that had been independently rated as high in erotic value produced greater changes in penile circumference relative to baseline than themes of lower erotic value. Men with vivid imagery were more sexually aroused during fantasy than men with non-vivid imagery. The interaction between the content and vividness of fantasy was not significant. These results indicate that the extent to which men can induce erection through fantasy depends not only on the sexual themes that the men use during fantasy, but on the vividness of the images they form.     

A Psychophysiological Exploration of Sexual Arousal Patterns in Females and Males

Fifty-nine female and 39 male undergraduates completed 3 sessions of a psychophysiological study on sexual arousal. Subjects were assigned to one of six experimental groups. Subjects within each group were exposed to a series of four audio-tapes, and were asked to fantasize before and after the tape series. Tapes varied in their erotic and romantic content, and two sex role dimensions were also varied across tapes. Dependent measures included scaled subjective reports, genital pulse amplitude and blood volume responses, heart rate, and finger pulse amplitude. Erotic contents were significantly more sexually arousing than nonerotic contents for both sexes. Romantic content did not significantly enhance the facilitation of sexual arousal. Nontraditional sex roles were significantly more arousing for females, with a similar nonsignificant trend for males. There were significant correlations between genital pulse amplitude and subjective reports of arousal; however, for females the genital blood volume measure showed less reliable agreement with subjective report. Genital pulse amplitude was the most reliable and precise indicator of arousal and accounted for the most variance across conditions. No significant changes occurred on the heart rate and finger pulse amplitude measures. Although subjects were able to become aroused by fantasy alone, listening to erotic tapes did not facilitate their ability to be sexually aroused during fantasy.     

Physiological and Subjective Sexual Arousal in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women and Postmenopausal Women Taking Replacement Therapy

Twenty premenopausal, 14 postmenopausal, and 14 postmenopausal women receiving replacement estrogen therapy were studied to determine whether differences in hormone status were associated with differences in physiological and subjective sexual responses. All subjects viewed a neutral, an erotic, and a second neutral videotape while photoplethysmographic vaginal pulse amplitude was continuously recorded. Self-report ratings of sexual arousal and affective response were collected. Serum levels of testosterone, estradiol, estrone, and luteinizing hormone were obtained. The three groups did not differ in either average or maximum vaginal pulse amplitude to the videotapes nor in latency of sexual response. The postmenopausal women not taking replacement estrogen reported significantly less vaginal lubrication in response to the erotic videotape than the higher estrogen premenopausal and replacement hormone groups. Estradiol level was significantly correlated with ratings of vaginal lubrication in response to the erotic videotape but not with vaginal pulse amplitude. Results thus suggest that estrogen is important in maintaining vaginal lubrication and the perception of sexual arousal but not in determining vaginal vasocongestion.     

Groin Skin Temperature: Testing the Validity of a Relatively Unobtrusive Physiological Measure of Psychosexual Arousal

The validity of groin skin temperature as a relatively unobtrusive physiological measure of psychosexual arousal was tested for both males and females. Groin skin temperature and hemodynamic (penile circumference, vaginal blood volume, and vaginal pulse amplitude) changes induced by erotic and non-erotic film presentations were monitored in 10 male and 10 female volunteers. Significant positive correlations (p<.001) between the measures were obtained for 16 of 20 subjects. Implications of the findings for detecting low levels of psychosexual arousal are discussed.     

Male Sexual Arousal and the Law of Initial Value

Penile circumference was measured for 24 men before and during exposure to erotic material of matched content presented in 5 modes: film, slides, spoken, written, and fantasy. Stimulation in each case involved 8, 2-min episodes graded in content from low to high heterosexual arousal value. Three indices were used to test for the Law of Initial Value (LIV). No consistent evidence was obtained that stimulation levels or change scores varied systematically with prestimulus baseline values. The data indicate that male sexual arousal can be investigated without the need to adjust change scores to take into account initial value, at least when guided relaxation has been used to stabilize basal rates.     

A Cognitive-Physiological Process Model of Sexual Arousal and Response

Three decades of research have focused on identifying cognitive and physiological processes in human emotion. The mechanisms by which these components interact to mediate sexual arousal are unknown, and scientific knowledge on women Is lacking. New findings have identified (a) key components of sexual response, (b) mechanisms by which cognitive and physiological processes form a feedback loop in the mediation of sexual arousal, and (c) a method to increase genital response and cognitive expectancy, via pairing general autonomic activation and physiological genital feedback. This approach interrupted the dysfunctional process and initiated a positive cognitive-physiological feedback loop of sexual arousal to levels comparable with sexually functional women within 3 min. This empirically derived process model identifies a cognitive-physiological pathway for sexual response, and a potential common pathway for emotion processing and an integrated behavioral medicine approach to women's health.     

搜索威胁:负性情绪图片的选择性注意

快速搜索和探测具有威胁的刺激是人类生存的基础。威胁刺激能激起恐怖、焦虑等负性情绪,搜索表达负性情绪图片中的选择性注意是近期研究的焦点。负性情绪刺激的搜索较快,其作为干扰物又会影响其他靶子的搜索成绩。研究者提出注意获得和注意固着两种观点加以解释。时间进程的分析表明,警戒-回避模式能较好说明恐怖/焦虑个体对威胁刺激的加工。     

Changes in Heart Rate, Muscle Activity, and Anxiety Level Following Shock Threat

Variations in HR, forearm EMG, and anxiety level were recorded over a 6-min interval scheduled to end with an electric shock. Sixty subjects were divided equally among four groups. Only two of the groups could watch a clock while waiting for the shock; the other two had no clock available. One group in each of these two conditions gave verbal reports of anxiety at various times while waiting for the shock. The results showed an increase in HR at the end of the anticipation interval in the two Clock groups, and no such rise in the two No Clock groups. Very similar results were found for anxiety level, but not for forearm EMG. These findings suggest that HR increases during anticipation of shock reflect a rising anxiety level, rather than a concomitant increase in muscle activity.     

Caffeine and human behavior: Arousal,anxiety, and performance effects

A review of the recent literature shows the role of caffeine in the physiology, mood, and behavior of persons to be a complex one including changes in arousal, anxiety, and performance. Questions are raised as to what degree the physiological effects of caffeine are due to central nervous system stimulation and/or result from the release of catecholamines. Anxiety resulting from both high levels of caffeine (caffeinism) and caffeine withdrawal plus an association between caffeine and depression are discussed. Performance effects are mixed, with both increases and decreases reported. Effects on mental tasks are related to personality variables. The possible role of differences in initial sensitivity, adaptation to caffeine, and/or interactions with nicotine and alcohol is discussed. The present paper reviews these studies, discusses their implications for both clinical and experimental work, summarizes the major unresolved issues, and makes suggestions for new and continuing areas of research.     

Sexual dysfunction in depression and anxiety: Conceptualizing sexual dysfunction as part of an internalizing dimension

Sexual dysfunction is often implicated in depression and anxiety disorders, but the current nosology of sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety (i.e., DSM-IV) does not adequately address these relationships. Because recent papers (Krueger, R. F., & Markon, K. E. (2006). Reinterpreting comorbidity: A model-based approach to understanding and classifying psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2, 111–133) have suggested and provided evidence for latent internalizing and externalizing dimensions that help explain high comorbidity between mental disorders, the current paper suggests that sexual dysfunction might conceptually belong to a latent internalizing factor. To address this, evidence is presented for the relationship among disorders of sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm comorbid with depression and anxiety. A review of sexual disorders is also presented along with a critical examination of the way the current DSM is organized with respect to sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety.     

广州、香港两地大学生性观念调查—性态度、性知识、行为发生可能性及双重标准

目的本研究通过对香港和广州两地大学生的性态度、性知识和性双重标准的调查,找出两地大学生性观念上的地区差异。方法以问卷调查的方式,对85位香港大二学生及65位广州大二学生在性态度、性知识、相关行为发生可能性方面进行调查。结果调查发现,广州大学生在性态度上更开放,在相关性行为发生的可能性上更高。男性的性态度、性知识、相关性行为得分也高于女性。在性的双重标准方面,两地都存在双重标准,而广州大学生性的双重标准程度更高。结论开明的性教育对正确树立大学生性观念和消除性双重标准具有重要的意义     

Psychopathy and Selective Attention During Performance of a Complex Perceptual-Motor Task

Autonomic and electrocortical activity were recorded while prison inmates with high (H) and low (L) ratings of psychopathy were presented with a series of binaural tone pips, either by themselves (passive attention) or while video games were being played (selective attention). During selective attention the subjects were told that the tone pips were irrelevant to the primary task, the video games. The N100 component of the auditory evoked potential was used as an index of attention paid to the tone pips, while performance on the video games was considered to be a reflection of attentiveness to the primary task. There were no group differences in N100 amplitude or latency during passive attention, supporting the results from several previous studies. During selective attention Group H gave small N100 responses to the tone pips during each video game trial, including the first one, while Group L gave large N100 responses to the tone pips during the first trial, and small responses during later trials. Both groups performed equally well during the first few trials, but while the performance of Group L continued to improve, that of Group H deteriorated over the last few trials. The results were interpreted in terms of limited capacity models of attention, and provided some support for the hypothesis that psychopaths allocate a relatively large proportion of their attentional resources to things of immediate interest, effectively ignoring other stimuli.     

Modulation of spinal reflexes by aversive and sexually appetitive stimuli

In this study, modulation of spinal tendinous (T) reflexes by sexual stimulation was investigated. T reflexes are augmented in states of appetitive and defensive action and modified by differences in arousal intensity. Reflexes were expected to be facilitated by both pleasant (sexual) and unpleasant (anxiety) stimuli. Subjects were exposed to a sexual, an anxiety-inducing, a sexually threatening, and a neutral film excerpt. Genital arousal, emotional experience, subjective action tendencies, and T reflexes were monitored. Self-report and genital data confirmed the affective states as intended. T reflex amplitude significantly increased during viewing of emotionally arousing film excerpts as compared with a neutral film excerpt. T reflexes were facilitated by the sex stimulus to the same extent as by the anxiety and sexual threat stimuli. The results support the view of sexual arousal as an emotional state, generating sex-specific autonomic and general somatic motor system responses, which prepare the organism for action.     

Arousal and ventilatory responses to hypoxia in sleeping infants: effects of maternal smoking

Our aim was to determine whether maternal cigarette smoking affects arousal and ventilatory responses to hypoxia in infants. Infants born to non-smoking (NS, n = 15) and smoking mothers (SM, n= 9) were studied at 2-5 weeks, 2-3 and 5-6 months. Ventilatory responses to 15% O(2) were determined preceding arousal. At each age and in both groups, infants aroused more frequently and earlier to hypoxia in active sleep (AS) than quiet sleep (QS). Arousal latency was longer in SM infants (in QS) at 5-6 months (P < 0.05). Baseline respiratory parameters were not different between groups, except that, at 2-3 months, SM infants had higher SP(O2) during AS than NS infants. Maternal smoking did not affect ventilatory responses preceding hypoxia-induced arousal in either sleep-state at any age. We conclude that mild hypoxia stimulates ventilation and arousal in infants up to 6 months and that arousability is depressed in SM infants at 5-6 months; however, ventilatory responses preceding arousal are not adversely affected by smoking.     

Some Antecedents of Directional Fractionation: Effects of "Intake-Rejection," Verbalization Requirements, and Threat of Shock on Heart Rate and Skin Conductance

Following recent contradictory claims in the literature regarding the phenomenon of directional fractionation, the present study was designed to investigate variables related to this differential patterning of autonomic response. Heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) were recorded from 89 male students who either attended to flashing lights or worked a subtraction problem under threat-of-shock or no-shock conditions. Effects of instructions to verbalize later were also investigated. While significant task differences were demonstrated which were consistent with the directional fractionation hypothesis, instructions to verbalize later affected neither HR nor SC. Threat of shock significantly elevated HR during the task only for Ss attending to flashing lights. However, threat of shock significantly raised HR and SC levels immediately after instructions (and preceding the task) when combined with instructions for subtraction. Results were contrary to arousal theory, supportive of Lacey's theory of an “intake-rejection” dimension, and contrary to Campos and Johnson's verbalization findings.     

Habituation of the Orienting Response: A Gating Mechanism Subserving Selective Attention

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether prior habituation of the phasic orienting response (OR) to stimuli which were later to be used as distractors in an attention demanding task, would improve task performance and reduce OR frequency to distractors during the task. The task was the solution of mathematical problems from immediate memory, and the distractors were random numbers and mathematical signs. Subjects were sequentially assigned to one of four conditions: 1) 15 presentations of distractors, problems with distractors; 2) 15 presentations of a tone, problems with distractors; 3) problems with distractors; and 4) 15 presentations of distractors or tone, problems without distractors. Results clearly indicated that prior habituation of the phasic OR to the distractors improved performance relative to no prior habituation or to prior habituation to a tone. There was also evidence of decreased OR activity during problem solving in the prior habituation group relative to the tone habituation and no habituation groups. The data supported an hypothesis that selective attention consists of at least two processes: 1) sensitization of phasic and tonic ORs to salient stimuli, and 2) habituation of phasic and tonic ORs to irrelevant stimuli.     

Alcohol and the physiological detection of deception: Arousal and memory influences

Eighty male volunteers participated in an analogue study of the effects of alcohol intoxication at the time of a crime on the physiological detection of deception using control question and guilty knowledge techniques. Sixty-four of the subjects committed a mock crime and half of these were intoxicated during the crime. Sixteen subjects committed no crime and served as innocent controls. We found that intoxication at the time of the crime had no significant effect on polygraph test outcomes, although it did affect anticipatory arousal before the crime and subsequent memory for crime details. Manipulations designed to influence memory for crime details and arousal during the crime had differential effects for the two polygraph tests. On the guilty knowledge test, primed subjects who rehearsed specific details following the crime were more detectable than unprimed subjects. On the control question test, primed subjects were also more detectable, but only when arousal during the crime was high.     

抗精神病药所致性功能障碍自评量表的初步编制

目的：为抗精神病药引起性功能的研究提供工具,方法：在查阅文献的基础上选编条目,再经专家评定。小范围内进行预实验,形成初稿,然后对初稿进行进一步的检验与修改,形成最终量表,并对量表进行信度与效度检验,然后,据此量表进一步判定其划界点。结果：男性性功能障碍评定量表（MBSDSRS）共10条,分为3个因子,分别为：性能力减退,性焦虑,性痛楚,量表和因子的Chronbachα系数为0．65－0．90,Spearman-Brown分半信度为0．69－0．87,重测信度为0．61－0．93,女性功能障碍评定量表（FBSDSRS）共12条,分为4个因子,分别为：月经紊秘,性能力减退,性痛楚,性焦虑。量表和因子的Chronbachα系数为0．73－0．91,Spearman-Brown分信度为0．67－0．90,重测信度为0．075－0．85。两量表的信度与效度均达到统计学要求,进一步得出男性量表划界点为15分,女性量表未得出准确的划界点,粗略估计为21分,结论：性功能障碍评定量表基本符合理论构想,且具有一定的信度与效度,男性量表划界点较为,妇性量表划界点仍需进一步研究。