Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Kinsey survey (1940s) - research involved |
survey based research using questionnaires 10,000 responders |
|
|
Kinsey survey (1940s) found |
high prevalence of masturbation oral sex more prevalent in college educated people 10% of the population prefer homosexual sex |
|
|
Masters and Johnson (1960s) research involved |
observing and measuring human sexual activity in the laboratory |
|
|
Masters and Johnson (1960s) research conclusions |
Four stage model of human sexual response: Excitement - arousal increasing Plateau - fully asoused Orgasm - brief pleasurable sensation Resolution - muscles relax, blood pressure drops |
|
|
Schultz et al. (1999) research involved |
MRI of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal 8 couples participated |
|
|
Siveter (2003) discovered a 425 million year old fossilized creature with a penis. This supports the longevity of |
reproduction via 2 sexes |
|
|
HOWEVER - are males necessary? Clear sex differentiation isn't universal |
Slugs & snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites - male and female sexual organs Clown fish are sequential hermaphrodites - they switch sexes depending on environmental conditions |
|
|
HOWEVER - are males necessary? Clear sex differentiation isn't universal |
Some animals reproduce sexually or by parthenogenesis - e.g. aphids - explained by swapping genes leading to passing on beneficial mutations to produce hardier offspring Parthenogenesis passes on mutations much slower than S |
|
|
In sexual reproducers there are 4 basic mating systems |
Promiscuity Polygyny Polyandry Monogamy |
|
|
Promiscuity |
animals mate with several partners and do not establish long lasting parnerships. this usually means a few males mating a lot and vice versa; most mammals |
|
|
Polygyny |
one male mates with a group of females but each female only has male partner e.g. elephant seals; gorillas |
|
|
Polyandry |
as polygyny but male / female roles reversed e.g. jacana |
|
|
Monogamy |
one male and one female form a breeding pair and mate exclusively with another, more common in birds than mammals, possibly due to egg vulnerability |
|
|
Four stages of reproductive behaviour |
Sexual attraction Appetitive behaviours Copulation Postcopulatory behaviours |
|
|
Appetitive behaviours |
Behaviours that establish, maintain or promote sexual interaction |
|
|
Copulatory behaviours |
sexual intercourse |
|
|
Postcopulatory behaviours |
Following copulation, animals will not mate again for a period of time called the refractory phase |
|
|
Coolidge effect |
Many animals show a shorter refractory phase if provided with a new partner |
|
|
Two theories of sexual attraction |
Mate-quality hypothesis Receiver bias hypothesis |
|
|
Mate-quality hypothesis |
sexual signals provide potential mates with detailed information about the signal bearer;s quality as a mate Assumes the natural receivers of a signal possess a biological afaptation enabling them to decode the signal Therefore is SPECIES SPECIFIC |
|
|
Receiver bias hypothesis |
Receivers get some info from sexual signals e.g. sex, age, BUT finer details of receiver preferences arise from a learned bias Therefore, is NOT SPECIES SPECIFIC |
|
|
Can chickens be shown to prefer 'beautiful' human faces (Ghirlanda et al, 2004) 6 chickens shown |
average M and F faces Trained to peck to average M face / F face Testing all faces from the figure presented four times without reinforcement |
|
|
Can chickens be shown to prefer 'beautiful' human faces (Ghirlanda et al, 2004) 14 undergrads not trained, but asked to |
rate faces in random order and on a scale from 1 to 10 on how desirable it would be to go on a date with each one |
|
|
Can chickens be shown to prefer 'beautiful' human faces (Ghirlanda et al, 2004) findings |
Human and chicken behaviour almost identical Chickens showed same preferences as humans Chickens picked up on M and F attractiveness traits to respond to 2 not previously seen faces |
|
|
Can chickens be shown to prefer 'beautiful' human faces (Ghirlanda et al, 2004) conclusion |
supports receiver bias hypothesis of sexual mate attraction - non human species demonstrated human style partner pregerences Receiver get some info from sexual signals BUT finer details of receiver preferences arise from a learned processing bias does not support the mate-quality hypothesis - if a face-specific adaptation for mate selection exists in humans, why would chicks show similar preference |
|
|
Problem with evolution theory |
overemphasises the role of the environment in shaping how species evolve (natural selection), but ignores the role of mate selection processes (sexual selection) Argues that human intelligence is more likely to have arisen from sexual selection, not sexual selection |
|
|
what else does sexual selection explain? |
more expressive aspects of the human mind, including art, music and language |
|
|
Is intelligence correlated with semen quality? (Arden et al. 2008) 425 male US army veterans |
semen samples video recorded and assessed for sperm concentration, sperm count and sperm mobility intelligence assessed using 5 neuropsychological tests, including the Wechsler scale, wide range achievement test, and the army classification battery |
|
|
Is intelligence correlated with semen quality? (Arden et al. 2008) findings |
significant correlations between 3 measures of sperm quality, and intelligence Small correlations, but similar magnitude to other bodily intelligence correlations Supports idea that intelligence represents 1 aspect of a general fitness trait, and also supports the sexual selection hypothesis of intelligence |
|
|
Is the size of the Interstitial nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus (2 and 3) different in homosexual compared to heterosexual men (LeVay, 1991) |
brain tissue obtained during routine autopsies of 41 subjects Microscope analysis showed no effects for INAH 1, 2, 4 INAH 3 twice as large in hetero mencompared to homo men BUT this could be a prediction or consequence of sexual orientation - a biological basis for sexual orientation MAY or may NOT be desirable |
|
|
Sexual reponse in women with history of CSA (Rellini et al, 2009) looked at |
24 women with CSA history compared with those without CSA control group shown no-sexual video |
|
|
Sexual reponse in women with history of CSA (Rellini et al, 2009) measured |
saliva samples to check for arousal (Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal activity) Vaginal pulse amplitude measured with a photoplethysmograph Self report scale of sexual arousal PTSD symptoms assessed |
|
|
Sexual reponse in women with history of CSA (Rellini et al, 2009) findngs |
Cortisol: reduced in both groups, no difference across groups, PTSD associated with increased cortisol levels Photoplethysmograph: interaction of video x group - lesser vaginal pulse amplitude response to film in CSA group compared to controls By controlling for PTSD, vaginal pulse amplitude reponse no longer differed across the CSA groups |
|
|
Sexual reponse in women with history of CSA (Rellini et al, 2009) conclusion |
Complex relationship between cortisol and sexual stimuli mediated by PTSD symptoms complex - cortisol not predicted by CSA group PTSD important because - predicted cortisol response AND blocked CSA group effects on physiological sexual arousal suggests that PTSD mediates the relationship between cortisol and sexual stimuli. |
