The relation between sexual interest and personality characteristics in men: an eye-tracking study

[Prospects for the use of a binocular eye tracking system for the diagnosis of pedophilic disorder]

BACKGROUND

The assessment of pedophilic disorder is one of the most complicated problems in forensic psychiatric practice.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the use of eye tracking to identify pedophilic disorder.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred people were stratified into a group of men with pedophilic disorder (n=43) and a group of people without clinical signs of pedophilia (n=57). Clinical, psychopathological, sexological and psychophysiological methods were used. Within the framework of a psychophysiological method, normative and deviant erotic stimuli were presented with simultaneous eye gaze recording.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Methodological requirements to create the diagnostic visual tests, in the development of which the stimulus material should be highly standardized and take into account the color spectrum, size, content, as well as the emotional richness of the images, were suggested. Moreover, it was found that for the detection of paraphilic interest, it was very important to assess attention (involuntary and voluntary), based on the study of fixation activity: high rates of the total stimulus viewing time, duration of the first fixation, average duration of fixations and index of fixation activity indicate a high level of attention to the exposed deviant stimuli in subjects with pedophilic disorder, which shows their greater importance in comparison with normative stimuli. However, the individual analysis of the data should take into account not only individual physiological indicators, but also their combination, since an oculomotor activity is significantly influenced by internal and external factors. The obtained data suggest that eye tracking is a very promising diagnostic method to identify paraphilic disorders.

The effect of static versus dynamic stimuli on visual processing of sexual cues in androphilic women and gynephilic men

Models of sexual response posit that attentional processing of sexual cues is requisite for sexual responding. Despite hypothesized similarities in the underlying processes resulting in sexual response, gender differences in sexual arousal patterns are abundant. One such gender difference relates to the stimulus features (e.g. gender cues, sexual activity cues) that elicit a response in men and women. In this study, we examined how stimulus modality (static visual images versus dynamic audiovisual films) and stimulus features (gender, sexual activity and nonsexual contextual cues) influences attentional (i.e. gaze) and elaborative (i.e. self-reported attraction (SRA), self-reported arousal) processing of sexual stimuli. Men's initial and controlled attention was consistently gender-specific (i.e. greater attention towards female targets), and this was not influenced by stimulus modality or the presence of sexual activity cues. By contrast, gender-specificity of women's attention patterns differed as a function of attentional stage, stimulus modality and the features within the stimulus. Degree of specificity was positively predictive of SRA in both genders; however, it was not significantly predictive of self-reported arousal. These findings are discussed in the context of gendered processing of visual sexual information, including a discussion of implications for research designs.

The Pattern of Sexual Interest of Female-to-Male Transsexual Persons With Gender Identity Disorder Does Not Resemble That of Biological Men: An Eye-Tracking Study

Introduction

Very little has been elucidated about sexual interest in female-to-male (FtM) transsexual persons.

Aims

To investigate the sexual interest of FtM transsexual persons vs that of men using an eye-tracking system.

Methods

The study included 15 men and 13 FtM transsexual subjects who viewed three sexual videos (clip 1: sexy clothed young woman kissing the region of the male genitals covered by underwear; clip 2: naked actor and actress kissing and touching each other; and clip 3: heterosexual intercourse between a naked actor and actress) in which several regions were designated for eye-gaze analysis in each frame. The designation of each region was not visible to the participants.

Main Outcome Measures

Visual attention was measured across each designated region according to gaze duration.

Results

For clip 1, there was a statistically significant sex difference in the viewing pattern between men and FtM transsexual subjects. Longest gaze time was for the eyes of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects. For clip 2, there also was a statistically significant sex difference. Longest gaze time was for the face of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects, and there was a significant difference between regions with longest gaze time. The most apparent difference was in the gaze time for the body of the actor: the percentage of time spent gazing at the body of the actor was 8.35% in FtM transsexual subjects, whereas it was only 0.03% in men. For clip 3, there were no statistically significant differences in viewing patterns between men and FtM transsexual subjects, although longest gaze time was for the face of the actress in men, whereas it was for non-human regions in FtM transsexual subjects.

Conclusion

We suggest that the characteristics of sexual interest of FtM transsexual persons are not the same as those of biological men.

Tsujimura A, Kiuchi H, Soda T, et al. The Pattern of Sexual Interest of Female-to-Male Transsexual Persons With Gender Identity Disorder Does Not Resemble That of Biological Men: An Eye-Tracking Study. Sex Med 2017;5:e169–e174.

Video-Based Eye Tracking in Sex Research: A Systematic Literature Review

Although eye tracking has been used for decades, it has gained popularity in the area of sex research only recently. The aim of this article is to examine the potential merits of eye tracking for this field. We present a systematic review of the current use of video-based eye-tracking technology in this area, evaluate the findings, and identify future research opportunities. A total of 34 relevant studies published between 2006 and 2014 were identified for inclusion by means of online databases and other methods. We grouped them into three main areas of research: body perception and attractiveness, forensic research, and sexual orientation. Despite the methodological and theoretical differences across the studies, eye tracking has been shown to be a promising tool for sex research. The article suggests there is much potential for further studies to employ this technique because it is noninvasive and yet still allows for the assessment of both conscious and unconscious perceptional processes. Furthermore, eye tracking can be implemented in investigations of various theoretical backgrounds, ranging from biology to the social sciences.

Sexual cognition guides viewing strategies to human figures

Gaze patterns to figure images have been proposed to reflect the observer's sexual interest, particularly for men. This eye-tracking study investigated how individual differences in sexual motivation tendencies are manifested in naturalistic gaze patterns. Heterosexual men and women (M = 21.0 years, SD = 2.1) free-viewed plain-clothed male and female figures, aged 10, 20, and 40 years old, while their eye movements were recorded. Questionnaires were used to measure sexual cognitions, including sensation seeking and sexual compulsivity, sexual inhibition and excitation, and approach and avoidance responses to sexual stimuli. Our analysis showed a clear role of sexual cognitions in influencing gaze strategies for men. Specifically, men who scored higher on sexual compulsivity dedicated more gaze to the waist-hip region when viewing figures of their preferred sexual partners than men who scored lower on sexual compulsivity. Women's sexual cognitions showed no clear effect on the gaze pattern in viewing figures of their preferred age and gender of sexual partners, suggesting women's gaze is unlikely to be a straightforward reflection of their sexual preferences. The findings further suggest that men's gaze allocation is driven by sexual preferences and supports the utility of eye tracking in the assessment of male sexual interest.