Female sexual arousal refers to one’s feelings of sexual excitement and pleasure and has both physiological (i.e., objective) and psychological (i.e., subjective) components. It is an important, yet difficult phenomenon to investigate. As a result, many instruments have been used in an attempt to accurately measure female arousal; however, there are problems associated with each. Furthermore, the relationship between the subjective and physiological indicators of sexual arousal appears to be influenced by the instrument used to measure physiological sexual arousal. Specifically, instruments measuring physiological arousal internally (i.e., vaginal photoplethysmography) typically yield lower correlations between measures of physiological and subjective sexual arousal than instruments examining the external genitals (i.e., labial thermistor, thermal imager), which indirectly measure blood flow. Alternatively, laser Doppler imaging (LDI) is a direct measure of external genital blood flow but has only been used in one previous study that did not assess the relationship between physiological and subjective sexual arousal. The aims of the current study were to investigate the usefulness of LDI for assessing genital blood flow in women in response to erotic visual stimuli, and to explore the relationship between physiological and subjective indicators of sexual arousal. In addition, the role of psychosocial variables in predicting physiological and subjective sexual arousal was also examined. Eighty sexually healthy women completed a psychosocial interview and questionnaires. Participants also watched three 15-minute films during LDI scanning: two nature films (measuring acclimatization and baseline blood flow levels) and one randomly assigned experimental film (erotic, anxiety, humor, or neutral). They were asked to rate their level of subjective sexual arousal throughout and following the third film. Results indicated that LDI was able to differentiate the erotic condition from the three non-erotic conditions, and that physiological and subjective sexual arousal were significantly correlated. Although the psychosocial variables did not significantly predict either component of sexual arousal, specific variables moderated the association. Psychological, sexual, and social variables, along with genital sensations, played significant roles in the relationship between subjective and physiological sexual arousal. These findings suggest that LDI is a useful instrument for measuring female sexual arousal, and that sexual arousal is a complex process that requires further empirical investigation. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-27 10:09:26.355

Research has found that men’s sexual response demonstrates specificity; men’s genital sexual arousal patterns to sexual stimuli match their stated sexual orientation. Heterosexual women’s genital responses are nonspecific in that they show sexual responses to both their preferred and non-preferred gender (Chivers, 2010). It is unclear why women show this pattern; however, examining the specific stimulus features associated with sexual arousal in women may provide clarification. Prepotent sexual features, that is, stimuli that involuntarily elicit nervous system activity (cf. Lang, Rice & Sternbach, 1972), may be associated with an automatic sexual response (Blader & Marshall, 1989; Chivers, 2005; Ponseti et al., 2006; Van Lunsen & Laan, 2004). It is possible that heterosexual women show genital responses to both preferred and non-preferred stimuli because prepotent sexual features are present in both male and female sexual stimuli. In order to better understand women’s nonspecific genital response, we examined whether stimulus prepotency was associated with nonspecific sexual response in heterosexual women. We assessed 36 heterosexual women’s genital and subjective arousal to slideshows of male and female prepotent stimuli (erect penises and aroused vulvas), non-prepotent stimuli (flaccid penises and female pubic triangles), and neutral stimuli (images of clothed men and women engaged in nonsexual activities). Counter to prediction, women demonstrated category-specific genital and subjective sexual responses, such that sexual arousal was significantly higher to prepotent male stimuli (images of erect penises) versus prepotent female stimuli; genital responses were nonspecific to non-prepotent and neutral stimuli. Results are discussed in terms of the sexual competency of stimuli and the Information Processing Model of Sexual Response. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-29 10:36:22.441

This dissertation consists of four manuscripts on the emotion of disgust, all of which are published or in press. These papers report studies linking the emotion of disgust with areas of psychology to which it has seldom been connected. Paper 1 reports findings linking disgust with stress and satiation, providing support for an a priori hypothesis generated on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis of how these inputs should affect disease avoidance behavior. Paper 2 reports the first findings linking disgust with mating strategy, two important areas of psychology that have theoretical relevance for one another but whose connection has yet to be explored. Paper 3 presents the first solid empirical evidence that disgust sensitivity predicts food neophobia. This work also found a theoretically interesting, but unpredicted, connection between food neophobia and mating strategy. Paper 4 pans back, presenting a broader evolutionary framework on the emotions and providing a variety of novel empirical hypotheses for both disgust and sexual arousal. The dissertation then concludes by presenting important questions for future research and describing experiments currently underway to answer questions emerging from this line of research. As a whole, this dissertation and research program aim to a) build bridges between disgust and other domains of psychology such as stress and human mating, b) make methodological contributions to research on disgust, and c) present an evolutionary framework that carries conceptual and empirical implications for disgust and for a broad array of other emotions. / text

Women with chronic vulvar pain report reduced sexual function in comparison to non-affected women, including decreased sexual arousal. Experimentally induced sexual arousal has been examined in women with and without chronic vulvar pain, with contradictory results: some studies have found that only subjective arousal is affected in women with versus without vulvar pain, while other research has suggested that only genital responsiveness is affected in women with pain. As a result of these inconsistent findings, the role of arousal mechanisms in the causation and maintenance of provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) remains unclear. Thirty women with (n = 15) and without PVD (n = 15) were recruited to examine the relationship among physiological and subjective arousal, pain sensitivity and psychological/sexual function. Laser Doppler imaging (LDI) directly measured blood flow to the external genitals in response to an erotic film, and pain sensitivity was assessed before and after imaging. The PVD group had significantly lower blood flow than the control group during the erotic film when baseline blood flow levels were controlled; there were, however, no group differences in ratings of subjective arousal during the erotic film. Vestibular pain thresholds were significantly lower in the PVD group before and after the erotic film compared to the control group. In contrast, pain intensity ratings were significantly higher pre-erotic film in the PVD group, but there was no group difference post-erotic film. Pain thresholds did not significantly change in either group following exposure to the erotic film. Lastly, the PVD group had significantly lower sexual and psychological function in comparison to the control group, and intercourse frequency and pain catastrophizing significantly predicted genital responsiveness in the PVD group. The results suggest that women with PVD show an attenuated physiological response to erotic stimuli in an experimental setting, in the absence of differences in subjective arousal. The findings thus support the role of arousal in the maintenance of PVD, potentially in interaction with other physical and psychological factors. The study also has implications for the assessment and treatment of PVD, whereby arousal processes should be explicitly and separately managed in women with this condition. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-10 12:17:44.952

The impact of self awareness during sexual activity has been widely discussed. However, research has been largely focused on the effects of performance anxiety in male erectile functioning. Based on research linking sexual difficulties to lower levels of body image, it has been suggested that physical appearance concerns may have a similar influence on sexual functioning in women as does men's self-awareness about erectile functioning. On the other hand, research has also shown that in some cases self awareness can improve sexual functioning among women. The role that physical appearance or awareness of one's body specifically may play in female sexual response has received little empirical attention. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of body image on sexual arousal response to erotica among 48 women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD). Women were randomized to one of two Body Image conditions: Positive Body Image or Negative Body Image. Each woman participated in two sessions: Experimental and Control. In the experimental sessions, participants were asked to adopt and attend to their positive or negative body parts, and a full-length mirror was placed in front of them. Self-reported mental arousal, perceptions of physical arousal, body awareness, body image, anxiety, and cognitive distraction were assessed. Results showed that in the negative and positive experimental sessions, women experienced increased mental and perceptions of physical sexual arousal compared to the control session. Findings were mainly accounted for by levels of body image and body awareness. There were no differences in anxiety or cognitive distraction. Findings suggest that body image and body awareness, whether positive or negative, can result in increased subjective sexual arousal response. / text

Unlike men, women’s genital arousal is category-nonspecific with respect to sexual orientation, such that their genital responses do not differentiate stimuli by gender. A possible explanation for women’s nonspecific sexual response is the inclusion of women at different phases of the menstrual cycle or women using hormonal contraceptives in sexual psychophysiology research, which may be obscuring a specificity effect. The present study employs the ovulatory-shift hypothesis – used to explain a shift in women’s preferences for masculine traits during peak fertility – as an explanatory model for women’s nonspecific sexual arousal. Twenty-nine naturally-cycling women were tested at two points in their menstrual cycles (follicular and luteal) to determine the role of hormonal variation, as estimated by fertility status, on the specificity of genital (using vaginal photoplethysmograph) and subjective sexual arousal. Cycle phase at the time of first testing was counterbalanced; however, no effect of order was observed. Inconsistent with the ovulatory-shift model, the predicted mid-cycle shift in preferences for masculinity or sexual activity at peak fertility was not obtained. Category-specificity of genital arousal did not increase during the follicular phase. A statistical trend was observed for higher genital arousal to couple sex stimuli during the follicular phase compared to the luteal phase, suggesting that women’s genital arousal may be sensitive to fertility status with respect to sexual activity (specifically, couple sex), but not gender. Subjective arousal was not influenced by fertility status. This study is the first to provide evidence that women’s genital arousal may be influenced by the probability of conception. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-29 08:51:26.973

Traditionally, juvenile sex offenders have been ignored in the literature. More recently the research has expanded particularly in the area of assessment and treatment. This study focused on the assessment of sexual arousal to deviant stimuli using the penile plethysmography (PPG) since it likely plays a significant role in juvenile sex offending behaviors. The goal of this study assessed its validity and reliability using Becker et al.'s set of PPG scenarios with a population of juvenile sex offenders. Significant differences were found between groups of (a) admitters versus partial admitters and (b) offenders with and without male victims. This study also examined the latent structure of the PPG results and found three dimensions: arousal to male stimuli, arousal to females and paraphilias, and arousal to non-sexual acts. These findings provide important implications for assessment of juvenile sex offenders and add to the clinical utility of PPG assessments.

Tactile stimulation, an important physiological component of the sexual experience, has the ability to influence the body’s representation in the brain. The sensory homunculus proposed by Penfield and Rasmussen illustrates the way in which the body is represented within the somatosensory cortex. Due to neuroplasticity, this map has the ability to adapt to differing levels of tactile input. How sexual arousal affects, or is represented by, the sensory homunculus is unknown. The study sought to identify: which body areas, rated by participants, are high in their ability to facilitate sexual arousal; to measure the intensity of the different body areas; and to identify whether the areas of greatest intensity lie adjacent cortically to the genital area thus supporting the hypothesised neuroplasticity of brain functioning. The current study was conducted through an online survey which was completed by volunteers with access to university portal sites, social networking sites and referrals. Sampling was convenient and comprised 208 heterosexual males. Data were treated quantitatively through descriptive (frequencies) and inferential (correlations, rotated factor analysis) statistics. The research findings provide support for the sensory homunculus mapping and suggest that there are three areas (genital, facial and trunk) that facilitate sexual arousal. The ability to facilitate sexual arousal is proposed to lie in the close proximity that these areas have within the three erogenous centres (cortically) as well as co-activation of body areas through perceived erogeneity and physiological proximity. This has important implications for sex therapy for individuals in which feeling in the genital area is lacking.

In most adult animals, stress is generally thought to be detrimental to reproductive (sexual) function. However, in humans, there is a limited body of literature that indicates some stress can potentially be beneficial for sexual function. One theory is that there is an inverted U relationship between stress and sexual function with low and high levels of stress (or anxiety) causing an impairment of sexual response, while a moderate level of stress facilitates sexual arousal. This aim of this dissertation is to identify the mechanisms through which both acute and chronic stress may facilitate or impair sexual arousal in women. In particular, I examined the role of adrenal hormones, the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and psychological factors. To test these mechanisms, I measured cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), heart rate, distraction, and misattribution of arousal during stressful and sexual laboratory situations. Two of the studies examined the effects of acute stress, and the final study focused on chronic stress. Results indicated that acute stress is beneficial for genital arousal in women, and that the sympathetic branch of the ANS is the key mechanism involved in that relationship. High levels of chronic stress were found to significantly impair genital arousal compared to average levels of chronic stress. Increased levels of cortisol and distractions contributed to this effect. DHEAS did not appear to play a role in the relationship between stress and sexual arousal, and there was no evidence for misattribution of arousal. Neither acute nor chronic stress affected women’s subjective (psychological) arousal. Acute and chronic stressors affect sexual arousal in different ways and through separate mechanisms. The findings from these studies can inform treatment approaches for women with sexual arousal difficulties. / text

The objective of this thesis was to determine whether evaluative body image, affective body image, and behavioural body image were predictive of women’s sexual desire, arousal and orgasm. Results are based on self-report and body composition data from 88 women (a subset of a larger data set including men) in heterosexual romantic relationships at the time of data collection. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that poor evaluative, affective and behavioural body image were detrimental to women’s sexual functioning. Specifically, dissatisfaction with one’s body predicted decrements in desire (β = -.31, p <.05) and arousal (β = -.35, p <.01). Similarly, feeling that others evaluate one’s body negatively, predicted decrements in desire (β = .22, p <.05) and arousal (β = .35, p <.01). Feeling negatively about one’s appearance predicted decrements in arousal (β = .26, p <.05). Negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body that influence sexual behaviours (body image self-consciousness) predicted decrements in arousal (β = -.37, p <.01) and orgasm (β = -.25, p <.05). Implications for public health messages, treatment programs, sexual problem assessments and directions for future research are discussed. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council