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Human Sexuality
Chapter 2: Studying Human
Sexuality
Research in Human Sexuality
Widely reported in the popular
press/media
Little mention of the methods used,
sample size, and sampling information
Importance of critical thinking
Looking Critically at
Statistical Research
Subsequent studies: were the results
reproduced or contested
Medical journals from 1990-2003: 1/3 of
results did not hold up when studies were
replicated
Looking Critically at
Statistical Research
There may be mediating variables: the
behavioral picture may be more
complex
Alcohol and risky sex: need to consider a
host of risk behavior patterns (Coleman,
2001)
Looking Critically at
Statistical Research
Sampling: is the sample random and
representative?
Random sampling: all have an equal chance
of being selected
Representative: the sample represents the
broader population (race/ethnicity, SES, etc.)
The Question of
Objectivity
Commitment to the scientific method
Feelings, beliefs, prejudices, biases
How can researchers ensure objectivity?
Schema Theory
Schema: a mental framework used to
organize knowledge; used as a
cognitive “short cut”
We often reject or ignore information
inconsistent with our schemas:
stereotypes are held and reinforced
Egocentrism and
Ethnocentrism in Research
Egocentrism: using our own behaviors
and attitudes as a “yardstick” for others
Ethnocentrism: belief that our own
ethnic group/culture is innately superior
to others
Ethical Issues in Research
Informed Consent: full disclosure about
the risks and benefits of participation
Protection of human subjects: no
coercion/deception
Confidentiality: must be maintained,
with some exceptions
Issues in Sexuality Research
Volunteers: most often male, sexually
experienced, liberal, less religious
(Stassberg, et.al., 1995)
More positive attitudes toward sexuality, no
feelings of guilt/shame
Biased sample??
Issues in Sexuality Research
College populations are commonly
sampled
Emerging adults; different sexual
attitudes/expectations than other groups?
Issues in Sexuality Research
Racial/ethnic composition of subjects
Subjects are often white, middle class;
absence of racially/ethnically diverse
participants
Issues in Sexuality Research
Sexual orientation
Behavior and identity may be
inconsistent
Ex. An individual may participate in samesex sexual activities, but may not identify
as gay or bisexual
Research on
Human Sexuality
Clinical Research: descriptive research
based on treatment issues in sexuality
Ex. Difficulties in sexual functioning,
paraphilias, emotional/psychological issues
surrounding sexuality
Clinical Research
Often based on pathology
Generalizes to only certain populations
Critical thinking: on what basis is the
behavior pathological?
Survey Research
Questionnaires/interviews
Sexual behaviors, experiences, and
attitudes
Benefit: large number of participants,
relatively inexpensive
Survey Research
Critique:
Individuals may not understand the
questions
Memory distortions
Not contextualized
**Social desirability: answering in a
socially acceptable manner
Observational Research
Naturalistic Observation: observing
behavior as it naturally occurs in reallife settings
Participant observation: The research
actually participates in the behavior
he/she is studying
Ethical Issues:
Observation/Ethnography
Observation without participants’
knowledge- a rights/privacy violation?
Is the researcher “too close” to that
which he/she is studying?
Experimental Research
Experiment: Formal trial undertaken to
conform/disconfirm a hypothesis
Often, physiological measures are taken
Correlational Methods
Correlational study: are two variables
related, and how strong is the
relationship?
Ex. Is there a relationship between low
self-esteem and risky sexual behavior?
Richard von Krafft-Ebing
(1840-1902)
Viennese psychiatrist
Case studies on abnormal sexual
behavior
Negative connotation
Tied aberrant sexual behavior to moral
degeneracy
Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939)
Viennese physician
Unconscious mind and repression
Psychosexual stages
Havelock Ellis
(1859-1939)
English physician and psychologist
Emphasized case studies, biographies,
personal letters
Emphasized the relativity of sexual
values
Alfred Kinsey
(1894-1956)
Large scale study of sexual behavior
“broke the taboo of silence”
Normalized sexual behavior
Moral breakdown?
Sexual revolution?
Alfred Kinsey
Documented incredible variations in
human sexual behavior
Sexual behavior/variation
A continuum
Kinsey on Sexual Orientation
Viewed sexual orientation as existing on
a continuum
Traditional categories for sexual
orientation were inadequate
Did not see orientation as an identity;
simply as behavior
Critique of Kinsey
Rejection of the psychological dimension
Quantitative data alone; not descriptive
Methodological problems
Ethical issues?
Contemporary Sexuality
Research
Large scale surveys on sexual behavior
Qualitative approaches
Meaning making and subjectivities; more
than statistics
Funding for sexuality research is limited
Feminist Studies and
GLBT Research
Focus on subjectivities and meaning making
Social constructionist approach
Focus on power dynamics
Gender/sexuality as a context
GLBT Research
1973; homosexuality removed from the
DSM
Homosexuality is studied as a lifestyle,
orientation, identity; more neutral