A sex difference in features that elicit genital response.
Previous research suggests that women's genital arousal is an automatic response to sexual stimuli, whereas men's genital arousal is dependent upon stimulus features specific to their sexual interests. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a nonhuman sexual stimulus would elicit a genital response in women but not in men. Eighteen heterosexual women and 18 heterosexual men viewed seven sexual film stimuli, six human films and one nonhuman primate film, while measurements of genital and subjective sexual arousal were recorded. Women showed small increases in genital arousal to the nonhuman stimulus and large increases in genital arousal to both human male and female stimuli. Men did not show any genital arousal to the nonhuman stimulus and demonstrated a category-specific pattern of arousal to the human stimuli that corresponded to their stated sexual orientation. These results suggest that stimulus features necessary to evoke genital arousal are much less specific in women than in men.
Chivers
Meredith L
ML
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College St., Toronto, Ont., Canada M5T 1R8. meredith_chivers@camh.net
Bailey
J Michael
JM
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019974:Pan paniscus; D010413:Penis / Q000502:physiology*; D017156:Photoplethysmography; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D019529:Sexuality; D014621:Vagina / Q000502:physiology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction; D014796:Visual Perception