Pictorial Cues and Sexual Desire: An Experimental Approach

Abstract

The cognitive processing of sexual and non-sexual pictorial stimuli was examined to see whether picture rating and recognition tasks have potential utility as a means of assessing levels of sexual desire. Previous research has revealed slower responding to sexual compared to neutral semantic cues in persons with lower self-reported sexual desire. The present study investigated whether sexual pictorial cues evoked a similarly slower responding in people reporting low sexual desire compared to other individuals. A total of 136 participants completed two self-report measures of sexual desire (the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Desire and the Sexual Desire Inventory) before carrying out tasks involving affective ratings and recognition memory for pictorial stimuli. Participants were classified into relatively low, average, and higher groups on the basis of their scores on the desire measures. The stimuli were selected from the International Affective Picture System, and the tasks included (1) rating the valence, arousal, and sense of dominance or control for each picture, (2) recognition of previously seen images, and (3) a second rating of pictures viewed earlier. Level of sexual desire did not influence responding in the male participants. Female participants with lower sexual desire rated sexual images less pleasant and less arousing than the other participants, and completed picture recognition tasks more quickly. Sexual desire levels significantly influenced the interest ratings women gave to sexual pictures. We also found sexual content induced delays. These delays were not significantly different among desire groups. The variation in responding linked to levels of sexual desire in women suggests that more investigation of this methodology in a clinically diagnosed population might contribute to an understanding of low desire, and help design interventions addressing distress due to lack of sexual desire.

Relationship Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, and Sexual Problems in Sexsomnia

“…Calculating the Pearson r correlation revealed that frequency of sexsomnia per month was not significantly related to level of sexual desire as measured by the HISD, r(31) = .29, p = .112, A t-test revealed no significant difference between scores on the HISD in the current study (M = 65.06, SD = 16.38) and those reported in Conaglen and Evans (2006;M = 67.95, SD = 7.67), t(165) = 1.47, p > .05. Therefore, individuals with sexsomnia did not differ on levels of sexual desire compared with the normative sample.…”

“…Data reported on the HISD in Conaglen and Evans (2006) were used as a normative comparison for levels of sexual desire. Data reported on the IEMSS in Byers and MacNeil (2006) Study 2 was used as a normative comparison for levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction.…”

Striatal ups and downs: Their roles in vulnerability to addictions in humans

“…Nonetheless, self-reported craving is a commonly used proxy and ecological momentary assessments acquired with real-time electronic diaries confirm that exposure to drug cues, and their elicitation of craving states, commonly occur in the minutes and hours before new bouts of stimulant drug use (Epstein et al, 2009). Similarly, in laboratory studies, craving and reward-seeking behavior have been reported to increase following exposure to cues associated with amphetamine (Culbertson et al, 2010; Tolivar et al, 2010), cocaine (Childress et al, 1988, 1993), alcohol (George et al, 2001; Bragulat et al, 2008), cigarettes (Droungas et al, 1995; Carter and Tiffany, 2001; Wray et al, 2011), heroin (Fatseas et al, 2011; Zhao et al, 2012a), and natural rewards such as food (Jansen, 1998; Kelley and Berridge, 2002; Mahler and de Wit, 2010) and sex (Conaglen and Evans, 2006; Kim and Zauberman, in press). …”

Women's interest in visual sexual stimuli varies with menstrual cycle phase at first exposure and predicts later interest

“…Male and female subjects have also been shown to look longer at pornographic slides that they rate more highly arousing (Brown, 1979). Additionally, women with lower sexual arousal have shorter viewing times when evaluating sexual stimuli than women do who report higher levels of sexual arousal (Conaglen & Evans, 2006). In men, higher testosterone is correlated with longer viewing times (Rupp & Wallen, 2007).…”