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Janssen E, Bancroft J. The Dual Control Model of Sexual Response: A Scoping Review, 2009-2022. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2023; 60:948-968. [PMID: 37267113 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2023.2219247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The Dual Control Model proposes that sexual arousal and related processes are dependent on the balance between sexual excitation and sexual inhibition, and that individuals vary in their propensity for these processes. This scoping review provides an overview and discussion of the questionnaires used to measure the propensities for sexual excitation and inhibition, their translation and validation in other languages, and their application in empirical research on topics ranging from sexual desire and arousal, sexual (dys)function, sexual risk taking, asexuality, hypersexuality, and sexual aggression. A total of 152 papers, published between 2009 and 2022 and identified using online databases, were included in this review. The findings, consistent with those reviewed by Bancroft et al. (2009), suggest that sexual excitation is particularly relevant to sexual desire and responsivity and predictive of asexuality and hypersexuality. Sexual inhibition plays a role in sexual dysfunction. sexual risk taking, and sexual aggression, although often in interaction with sexual excitation. Suggestions for the further development of the model and for future studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick Janssen
- Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - John Bancroft
- Horspath, Oxfordshire, UK
- The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Vásquez-Amézquita M, Leongómez JD, Salvador A, Seto MC. What can the eyes tell us about atypical sexual preferences as a function of sex and age? Linking eye movements with child-related chronophilias. Forensic Sci Res 2023; 8:5-15. [PMID: 37712065 PMCID: PMC10498142 DOI: 10.1093/fsr/owad009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual attention plays a central role in current theories of sexual information processing and is key to informing the use of eye-tracking techniques in the study of typical sexual preferences and more recently, in the study of atypical preferences such as pedophilia (prepubescent children) and hebephilia (pubescent children). The aim of this theoretical-empirical review is to connect the concepts of a visual attention-based model of sexual arousal processing with eye movements as indicators of atypical sexual interests, to substantiate the use of eye-tracking as a useful indirect measure of sexual preferences according to sex and age of the stimuli. Implications for research are discussed in terms of recognizing the value, scope and limitations of eye-tracking in the study of pedophilia and other chronophilias in males and females, and the generation of new hypotheses using this type of indirect measure of human sexual response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Vásquez-Amézquita
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
- Department of Psychobiology, Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | | | - Alicia Salvador
- Department of Psychobiology, Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Michael C Seto
- Forensic Research Unit, Royal Ottawa HealthCare Group, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Attention Bias and Recognition of Sexual Images in Depression. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18168880. [PMID: 34444629 PMCID: PMC8395037 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Depression greatly affects sexuality. Theoretical and empirical evidence account for the existence of attention bias to sex-related stimuli. This attention bias might be impaired in depression, resulting in sexual problems. A sample of 13 patients with depression and 13 matched healthy controls were tested using the dot-probe and picture recognition task to measure attention to erotic images. No difference in attention to sex-related stimuli (ω2 = 0, p = 0.22) and in memory bias (ω2 = 0, p = 0.72) was found between the two groups. Explorative analyses were conducted to identify the sexual content-induced delay effect in the data, assess variability differences, and compare trial-level bias score-based indexes between groups. Across all analyses, there was little evidence for depression affecting sexual-related cognitive processing, and even this might be explained by other means. Our results suggest that restrained attention is probably not the main factor behind sexual problems in depression.
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Zahler L, Meyers M, Woud ML, Blackwell SE, Margraf J, Velten J. Using Three Indirect Measures to Assess the Role of Sexuality-Related Associations and Interpretations for Women's Sexual Desire: An Internet-Based Experimental Study. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:2471-2484. [PMID: 33844117 PMCID: PMC8416817 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01897-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical models emphasize the role of both automatic appraisals (i.e., associations) and conscious appraisals (i.e., interpretations) for sexual desire. Studies on sexuality-related appraisals have not combined self-report measures and experimental paradigms in order to compare the relevance of associations or interpretations. The aim of this study was to assess the relative contribution of both associations and interpretations to the explanation of low sexual desire in women. Toward this goal, indirect measures assessing associations (via a Single Target Implicit Association Test [STIAT]) and interpretations (via a Scrambled Sentences Test [SST] and a scenario task) were administered in a sample of 263 women (Mage = 27.90, SD 8.27) with varying levels of sexual desire and different sexual orientations (exclusively heterosexual women: 54.6%). Negative sexuality-related interpretations as assessed with two variants of the SST as well as the scenario task added to the explanation of lower sexual desire in women. Negative associations as measured with the STIAT were predictive of lower sexual desire only in women who did not indicate an exclusively heterosexual orientation. In this study, sexuality-related interpretations were more relevant to women's sexual desire than automatic associations. Future studies should assess the causal mechanism underlying sexuality-related interpretations (e.g., by evaluating whether these can be changed via cognitive bias modification techniques or psychological treatments).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Zahler
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany
| | - Milena Meyers
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany
| | - Marcella L Woud
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany
| | - Simon E Blackwell
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jürgen Margraf
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany
| | - Julia Velten
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Massenbergstr. 9-13, 44787, Bochum, Germany.
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Milani S, Dawson SJ, Velten J. Visual Attention and Sexual Function in Women. CURRENT SEXUAL HEALTH REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11930-021-00312-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose of Review
Theoretical models situate attention as integral to the onset and regulation of sexual response and propose that problems with sexual response and subsequent sexual dysfunction result from insufficient attentional processing of sexual stimuli. The goal of this paper is to review literature examining the link between attentional processing of sexual stimuli and sexual function in women. Specifically, we sought to understand whether women with and without sexual dysfunction differ in their visual attention to sexual stimuli and examined the link with sexual response, which would support attention as a mechanism underlying sexual dysfunction.
Recent Findings
Across women with and without sexual concerns, sexual stimuli are preferentially attended to relative to nonsexual stimuli, suggesting that sexual stimuli are more salient than nonsexual stimuli. Differences between women with and without sexual dysfunction emerge when examining visual attention toward the most salient features of sexual stimuli (e.g., genital regions depicting sexual activity). Consistent with theoretical models, visual attention and sexual response are related, such that increasing attention to sexual cues facilitates sexual arousal, whereas reduced attention to sexual stimuli appears to suppress sexual arousal, which may contribute to sexual difficulties in women.
Summary
Taken together, the research supports the role of visual attention in sexual response and sexual function. These findings provide empirical support for interventions that target attentional processing of sexual stimuli. Future research is required to further delineate the specific attentional mechanisms involved in sexual response and investigate whether these are modifiable. This knowledge may be beneficial for developing novel psychological interventions targeting attentional processes in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions.
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Velten J, Milani S, Margraf J, Brotto LA. Visual Attention to Sexual Stimuli in Women With Clinical, Subclinical, and Normal Sexual Functioning: An Eye-Tracking Study. J Sex Med 2021; 18:144-155. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Novák O, Bártová K, Vagenknecht V, Klapilová K. Attention Bias and Recognition of Sexual Images. Front Psychol 2020; 11:556071. [PMID: 33224052 PMCID: PMC7667049 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.556071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention to sexual stimuli is necessary for the development of sexual response, yet while there is some evidence of attention bias in favor of sexual stimuli, the direction and magnitude of the effect remain unknown. A high-powered sample of 113 participants was tested using the dot-probe task (DPT) and picture recognition task (PRT) to measure visuospatial attention to erotic images. Participants showed no attention bias in the DPT (rB = 0.201, p = 0.064) but were significantly better at recognizing erotic rather than neutral or training pictures (d = 1.445 and 1.461, respectively, both p < 0.001). This indicates that spatial attention bias to sexual pictures is small, negligible, possibly even non-existent, or else the DPT is not a reliable tool to assess it. Results of the PRT, on the other hand, show that sexual stimuli are prioritized in memory and this should be explored in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Novák
- Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.,Laboratory of Evolutionary Sexology and Psychopathology, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Klára Bártová
- Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Kateřina Klapilová
- Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.,Laboratory of Evolutionary Sexology and Psychopathology, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
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