1
|
Lalumière ML, Sawatsky ML, Dawson SJ, Suschinsky KD. The Empirical Status of the Preparation Hypothesis: Explicating Women's Genital Responses to Sexual Stimuli in the Laboratory. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:709-728. [PMID: 32026221 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01599-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Research conducted in our laboratory and in other laboratories has revealed that (1) women's genital responses to visual and auditory stimuli are strongly affected by the presence of sexual cues, but that (2) specific sexual cues (e.g., gender of actors, the presence of sexual violence) often have little impact on the magnitude of the responses-that is, similar genital responses are observed to very different sexual stimuli. In addition, (3) women's genital responses do not strongly correspond with self-reported sexual partner and activity preferences, or (4) with self-reported sexual arousal during the presentation of sexual stimuli. Taken together, these facts represent a puzzle, especially considering that men's genital responses are highly affected by specific sexual cues and strongly correspond to stated preferences and self-reported sexual arousal. One hypothesis to explain female low cue-specificity and low concordance (relative to men) is the preparation hypothesis: Women's indiscriminate genital responses serve a protective function. That is, they do not indicate or necessarily promote sexual interest and motivation, but rather prepare the vaginal lumen for possible sexual activity and therefore prevent injuries that may occur as a result of penetration. We review evidence for and against this hypothesis. We conclude that the evidence is favorable but not entirely convincing, and more work is required to reach a firm conclusion. We offer directions for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin L Lalumière
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Megan L Sawatsky
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Samantha J Dawson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Kelly D Suschinsky
- Substance Abuse and Concurrent Disorders Program, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
van 't Hof SR, Van Oudenhove L, Janssen E, Klein S, Reddan MC, Kragel PA, Stark R, Wager TD. The Brain Activation-Based Sexual Image Classifier (BASIC): A Sensitive and Specific fMRI Activity Pattern for Sexual Image Processing. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3014-3030. [PMID: 34905775 PMCID: PMC9290618 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggest there is a complex relationship between sexual and general affective stimulus processing, which varies across individuals and situations. We examined whether sexual and general affective processing can be distinguished at the brain level. In addition, we explored to what degree possible distinctions are generalizable across individuals and different types of sexual stimuli, and whether they are limited to the engagement of lower-level processes, such as the detection of visual features. Data on sexual images, nonsexual positive and negative images, and neutral images from Wehrum et al. (2013) (N = 100) were reanalyzed using multivariate support vector machine models to create the brain activation-based sexual image classifier (BASIC) model. This model was tested for sensitivity, specificity, and generalizability in cross-validation (N = 100) and an independent test cohort (N = 18; Kragel et al. 2019). The BASIC model showed highly accurate performance (94–100%) in classifying sexual versus neutral or nonsexual affective images in both datasets with forced choice tests. Virtual lesions and tests of individual large-scale networks (e.g., visual or attention networks) show that individual networks are neither necessary nor sufficient to classify sexual versus nonsexual stimulus processing. Thus, responses to sexual images are distributed across brain systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie R van 't Hof
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Medical Centre, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Lukas Van Oudenhove
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Erick Janssen
- Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Sanja Klein
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany.,Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany
| | - Marianne C Reddan
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.,Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Philip A Kragel
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.,Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging (BION), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany.,Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35390, Germany
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.,Institute of Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Palmer-Hague JL, Wong STS, Wassersug RJ, Kingstone A, Wibowo E. Hormones and visual attention to sexual stimuli in older men: an exploratory investigation. Aging Male 2021; 24:106-118. [PMID: 34369279 DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2021.1960964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Testosterone is associated with sexual desire and performance in men, but little is known about cognitive mechanisms underlying this relationship. Even less is known about the influence of estradiol, despite its production from testosterone, and high receptor density in brain regions related to male sexual behavior. METHOD We used eye-tracking to compare men's visual attention to images of fully clothed (i.e. neutral) and minimally clothed (i.e. sexy) models in three groups: androgen-deprived (n = 6) and not androgen-deprived with prostate cancer (n = 11), and healthy controls (n = 7). We also assessed effects of serum testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin levels. RESULTS We found no group effect for fixations to sexy compared to neutral images, and no influence of testosterone on either total fixations, or proportion of fixations to sexy images. In contrast, we found that sex hormone binding globulin positively predicted total fixations, and estradiol positively predicted proportion of total fixations on sexy images--regardless of androgen treatment status. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that visual attention to sexual stimuli in men may be significantly affected by hormones. This has potential implications for clinical populations that experience sexual side effects, such as prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Samantha T S Wong
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Richard J Wassersug
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erik Wibowo
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Attard-Johnson J, Vasilev MR, Ó Ciardha C, Bindemann M, Babchishin KM. Measurement of Sexual Interests with Pupillary Responses: A Meta-Analysis. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:3385-3411. [PMID: 34557971 PMCID: PMC8604861 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02137-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Objective measures of sexual interest are important for research on human sexuality. There has been a resurgence in research examining pupil dilation as a potential index of sexual orientation. We carried out a meta-analytic review of studies published between 1965 and 2020 (Mdn year = 2016) measuring pupil responses to visual stimuli of adult men and women to assess sexual interest. Separate meta-analyses were performed for six sexual orientation categories. In the final analysis, 15 studies were included for heterosexual men (N = 550), 5 studies for gay men (N = 65), 4 studies for bisexual men (N = 124), 13 studies for heterosexual women (N = 403), and 3 studies for lesbian women (N = 132). Only heterosexual and gay men demonstrated discrimination in pupillary responses that was clearly in line with their sexual orientation, with greater pupil dilation to female and male stimuli, respectively. Bisexual men showed greater pupil dilation to male stimuli. Although heterosexual women exhibited larger pupils to male stimuli compared to female stimuli, the magnitude of the effect was small and non-significant. Finally, lesbian women displayed greater pupil dilation to male stimuli. Three methodological moderators were identified-the sexual explicitness of stimulus materials, the measurement technique of pupillary response, and inclusion of self-report measures of sexual interest. These meta-analyses are based on a limited number of studies and are therefore preliminary. However, the results suggest that pupillary measurement of sexual interest is promising for men and that standardization is essential to gain a better understanding of the validity of this measurement technique for sexual interest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Janice Attard-Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, BH12 5BB, UK.
| | - Martin R Vasilev
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, BH12 5BB, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
de Winter JCF, Petermeijer SM, Kooijman L, Dodou D. Replicating five pupillometry studies of Eckhard Hess. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 165:145-205. [PMID: 33766646 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Several papers by Eckhard Hess from the 1960s and 1970s report that the pupils dilate or constrict according to the interest value, arousing content, or mental demands of visual stimuli. However, Hess mostly used small sample sizes and undocumented luminance control. In a first experiment (N = 182) and a second preregistered experiment (N = 147), we replicated five studies of Hess using modern equipment. Our experiments (1) did not support the hypothesis of gender differences in pupil diameter change with respect to baseline (PC) when viewing stimuli of different interest value, (2) showed that solving more difficult multiplications yields a larger PC in the seconds before providing an answer and a larger maximum PC, but a smaller PC at a fixed time after the onset of the multiplication, (3) did not support the hypothesis that participants' PC mimics the pupil diameter in a pair of schematic eyes but not in single-eyed or three-eyed stimuli, (4) did not support the hypothesis of gender differences in PC when watching a video of a male trying to escape a mob, and (5) supported the hypothesis that arousing words yield a higher PC than non-arousing words. Although we did not observe consistent gender differences in PC, additional analyses showed gender differences in eye movements towards erogenous zones. Furthermore, PC strongly correlated with the luminance of the locations where participants looked. Overall, our replications confirm Hess's findings that pupils dilate in response to mental demands and stimuli of an arousing nature. Hess's hypotheses regarding pupil mimicry and gender differences in pupil dilation did not replicate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J C F de Winter
- Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
| | - S M Petermeijer
- Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
| | - L Kooijman
- Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
| | - D Dodou
- Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Is accommodation a confounder in pupillometry research? Biol Psychol 2021; 160:108046. [PMID: 33581231 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Much psychological research uses pupil diameter measurements to investigate the cognitive and emotional effects of visual stimuli. A potential problem is that accommodating at a nearby point causes the pupil to constrict. This study examined to what extent accommodation is a confounder in pupillometry research. Participants solved multiplication problems at different distances (Experiment 1) and looked at line drawings with different monocular depth cues (Experiment 2) while their pupil diameter, refraction, and vergence angle were recorded using a photorefractor. Experiment 1 showed that the pupils dilated while performing the multiplications, for all presentation distances. Pupillary constriction due to accommodation was not strong enough to override pupil dilation due to cognitive load. Experiment 2 showed that monocular depth cues caused a small shift in refraction in the expected direction. We conclude that, for the young student sample we used, pupil diameter measurements are not substantially affected by accommodation.
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We examine the state of scientific research on the assessment of paraphilic interests among women who have committed sexual offences. RECENT FINDINGS Research on the assessment of sexual interests in women using genital measures shows little evidence, overall, that women's genital responses are indicative of sexual interests. Some non-genital measures of sexual interest may be a valid indicator of age interests. Very few studies have focused on women who sexually offend. At this time, there is no validated measure that can be used to assess paraphilic interests among women who sexually offend. Much research is needed to determine if some measures (other than self-report) could validly assess a variety of sexual interests in women in general, and women who sexually offend in particular (e.g. interest in children, interest in sexual violence). This research is needed to determine if paraphilic interests are involved in women's motivation for sexual offending, and to determine if such interests are predictive of sexual recidivism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather M Moulden
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. .,St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3K7, Canada.
| | - Martin L Lalumière
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.,The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rajasekar P, Palanisamy S, Anjali R, Vinosha M, Elakkiya M, Marudhupandi T, Tabarsa M, You S, Prabhu NM. Isolation and structural characterization of sulfated polysaccharide from Spirulina platensis and its bioactive potential: In vitro antioxidant, antibacterial activity and Zebrafish growth and reproductive performance. Int J Biol Macromol 2019; 141:809-821. [PMID: 31499110 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the sulfated polysaccharide (SPs) was isolated from Spirulina platensis. The isolated SPs contains carbohydrate, sulfate, protein and uronic acid at 38.7 ± 0.30%, 21.3 ± 0.87%, 7.1 ± 0.15% and 7.9 ± 0.4% respectively. The elemental analysis confirmed the presence of carbon (18.01 ± 0.10%), hydrogen (1.83 ± 0.02%) and nitrogen (3.43 ± 0.01%). The monosaccharide composition and molecular weight of SPs were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and size exclusion chromatography respectively. The monosaccharide composition analysis showed the existence of glucose, rhamnose, xylose, fucose, mannose, galactose and the molecular weight of SPs was 1016 kDa. Further, the characterization of SPs was done by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR analysis. The obtained SPs exhibited potent antioxidant activity in DPPH (76.45 ± 0.49%), reducing power (absorbance: 1.3 ± 0.02), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (66.3 ± 1.16%), hydroxyl scavenging (68.6 ± 3.2%), nitric oxide (81.36 ± 1.85%) and total antioxidant (absorbance:1.66 ± 0.02) activities at 5 mg/ml. In addition, SPs revealed the highest antibacterial efficacy against the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus in disc diffusion, agar bioassay and protein leakage assays at 100 μg/ml. Furthermore, the supplementation of 2% SPs through a feed to the Danio rerio fish enhances the growth and reproductive performances. This finding confirmed that the isolated SPs from S. platensis possess pharmaceutical as well as nutritional properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Periyannan Rajasekar
- Disease Control and Prevention Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Subramanian Palanisamy
- Department of Marine Food Science and Technology, Gangneung-Wonju National University, 120 Gangneungdaehangno, Gangneung, Gangwon 210-702, Republic of Korea
| | - Ravichandran Anjali
- Disease Control and Prevention Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Manoharan Vinosha
- Disease Control and Prevention Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Meyyanathan Elakkiya
- Disease Control and Prevention Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Thangapandi Marudhupandi
- Biomaterials and Biotechnology in Animal Health Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Science Campus, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mehdi Tabarsa
- Department of Seafood Processing, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 46414-356, Noor, Iran
| | - SangGuan You
- Department of Marine Food Science and Technology, Gangneung-Wonju National University, 120 Gangneungdaehangno, Gangneung, Gangwon 210-702, Republic of Korea
| | - Narayanasamy Marimuthu Prabhu
- Disease Control and Prevention Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Changes in eye-pupil size index a range of cognitive processes. However, variations in the protocols used to analyze such data exist in the psychological literature. This raises the question of whether different approaches to pupillary response data influence the outcome of the analysis. To address this question, four methods of analysis were compared, using pupillary responses to sexually appetitive visual content as example data. These methods comprised analysis of the unadjusted (raw) pupillary response data, z-scored data, percentage-change data, and data transformed by a prestimulus baseline correction. Across two experiments, these methods yielded near-identical outcomes, leading to similar conclusions. This suggests that the range of approaches that are employed in the psychological literature to analyze pupillary response data do not fundamentally influence the outcome of the analysis. However, some systematic carryover effects were observed when a prestimulus baseline correction was applied, whereby dilation effects from an arousing target on one trial still influenced pupil size on the next trial. This indicates that the appropriate application of this analysis might require additional information, such as prior knowledge of the duration of carryover effects.
Collapse
|
10
|
Mitre‐Hernandez H, Sanchez‐Rodriguez J, Zatarain‐Cabada R, Barron‐Estrada L. Assessing cognitive load using oculometrics to identify deceit during interviews. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Mitre‐Hernandez
- Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT)Human‐Centered Computing Lab. Quantum: knowledge city Zacatecas Zacatecas Mexico
| | - Jorge Sanchez‐Rodriguez
- Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT)Human‐Centered Computing Lab. Quantum: knowledge city Zacatecas Zacatecas Mexico
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Watts TM, Holmes L, Raines J, Orbell S, Rieger G. Sexual Arousal Patterns of Identical Twins with Discordant Sexual Orientations. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14970. [PMID: 30297914 PMCID: PMC6175819 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33188-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically identical twins can differ in their self-reported sexual orientations. However, whether the twins' subjective reports reflect valid differences in their sexual orientations is unknown. Measures of sexual orientation, which are free of the limitations of self-report, include genital arousal and pupil dilation while viewing sexual stimuli depicting men or women. We examined these responses in 6 male twin pairs and 9 female twin pairs who reported discordant sexual orientations. Across measures, heterosexual male twins responded more strongly to women than to men. Their homosexual co-twins showed an opposite pattern. Heterosexual female twins responded equally to both sexes, whereas their homosexual co-twins responded somewhat more to women than men. These differences within pairs were similar to differences between unrelated heterosexual and homosexual males and females. Our study provides physiological evidence confirming twins' discordant sexual orientations, thereby supporting the importance of the non-shared environment for the development of sexual orientation and sexual arousal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tuesday M Watts
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Luke Holmes
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Jamie Raines
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Sheina Orbell
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Gerulf Rieger
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bell L, Vogt J, Willemse C, Routledge T, Butler LT, Sakaki M. Beyond Self-Report: A Review of Physiological and Neuroscientific Methods to Investigate Consumer Behavior. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1655. [PMID: 30245657 PMCID: PMC6137131 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current paper investigates the value and application of a range of physiological and neuroscientific techniques in applied marketing research and consumer science, highlighting new insights from research in social psychology and neuroscience. We review measures of sweat secretion, heart rate, facial muscle activity, eye movements, and electrical brain activity, using techniques including skin conductance, pupillometry, eyetracking, and magnetic brain imaging. For each measure, after a brief explanation of the underlying technique, we illustrate concepts and mechanisms that the measure allows researchers in marketing and consumer science to investigate, with a focus on consumer attitudes and behavior. By providing reviews on recent research that applied these methods in consumer science and relevant related fields, we also highlight methodological and theoretical strengths and limitations, with an emphasis on ecological validity. We argue that the inclusion of physiological and neuroscientific techniques can advance consumer research by providing insights into the often unconscious mechanisms underlying consumer behavior. Therefore, such technologies can help researchers and marketing practitioners understand the mechanisms of consumer behavior and improve predictions of consumer behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynne Bell
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Vogt
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Laurie T. Butler
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Michiko Sakaki
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Palmer-Hague JL, Tsang V, Skead C, Wassersug RJ, Nasiopoulos E, Kingstone A. Androgen Deprivation Alters Attention to Sexually Provocative Visual Stimuli in Elderly Men. Sex Med 2017; 5:e245-e254. [PMID: 29150010 PMCID: PMC5693430 DOI: 10.1016/j.esxm.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Testosterone is known to regulate male sexual interest, but the exact way that androgens influence men's sexual cognition remains unclear. AIM To investigate the influence of androgen deprivation (AD) on visual responses to sexually suggestive stimuli in men treated for prostate cancer with AD therapy. METHODS Patients with AD-treated prostate cancer, patients with prostate cancer not on AD therapy, and age-matched healthy control participants were exposed to images of male and female runway models fully or minimally clothed. Eye tracking was used to compare looking behavior among groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of fixations on fully clothed vs minimally clothed models and proportion of fixations on target areas of interest (ie, legs, chest, pelvis, and face) of fully clothed and minimally clothed models were analyzed and compared among groups. RESULTS Although men not on AD exhibited a larger proportion of fixations on the minimally clothed compared with the fully clothed images, there was no difference between the 2 image types for men on AD. This was true regardless of whether the images depicted male or female models. Groups did not differ in their fixations to target areas of interest. CONCLUSION These results suggest that testosterone can influence men's visual attention to sexual stimuli; specifically, AD can attenuate the time spent fixated on sexualized targets. Palmer-Hague JL, Tsang V, Skead C, et al. Androgen Deprivation Alters Attention to Sexually Provocative Visual Stimuli in Elderly Men. Sex Med 2017;5:e245-e254.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Vivian Tsang
- Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Charlenn Skead
- Department of Psychology, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada
| | - Richard J Wassersug
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Eleni Nasiopoulos
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Attard-Johnson J, Bindemann M. Sex-specific but not sexually explicit: pupillary responses to dressed and naked adults. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160963. [PMID: 28572991 PMCID: PMC5451792 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Dilation of the pupils is an indicator of an observer's sexual interest in other people, but it remains unresolved whether this response is strengthened or diminished by sexually explicit material. To address this question, this study compared pupillary responses of heterosexual men and women to naked and dressed portraits of male and female adult film actors. Pupillary responses corresponded with observers' self-reported sexual orientation, such that dilation occurred during the viewing of opposite-sex people, but were comparable for naked and dressed targets. These findings indicate that pupillary responses provide a sex-specific measure, but are not sensitive to sexually explicit content.
Collapse
|