Abstract
The classical conditioning of subjective and physiological aspects of female sexual arousal was examined. Experimental subjects were run in a delayed conditioning design, where an amber light was paired with excerpts from erotic videos. Control subjects received presentations of the same amber tight and videos, but these presentations did not overlap with one another. Dependent variables included subjective ratings of arousal to the light and the videos as well as change in vaginal pulse amplitude assessed during exposure to the different stimuli. Experimental subjects evidenced increased arousal to the light over conditioning trials, as assessed by subjective ratings of sexual arousal. This finding is suggestive of a learned effect. However, results failed to indicate significant differences between experimental and control groups. Therefore, the increased arousal to the light evidenced by experimental subjects may not be due to classical conditioning. Suggestions regarding these findings, clinical implications, and future research are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Adams, A. E., Haynes, S. N., and Brayer, M. A. (1985). Cognitive distraction in female sexual arousal. Psychophysiology 22: 689–696.
Bancroft, J. (1988). Sexual desire and the brain. Sex. Marital Ther. 3: 11–27.
Beck, J.G., and Baldwin, L. E. (1994). Instructional control of female sexual responding. Arch. Sex. Behav. 23: 665–684.
Becker, J. V., Skinner, L. J., Abel, G. G., and Cichon, J. (1986). Level of postassault sexual functioning in rape and incest victims. Arch. Sex. Behav. 15: 37–49.
Becker, J. V., Skinner, L. J., Abel, G. G., and Treacy, E. C. (1982). Incidence and types of sexual dysfunctions in rape and incest victims. J. Sex Marital Ther. 8: 65–74.
Cerny, J. A. (1978). Biofeedback and the voluntary control of sexual arousal in women. Behav. Ther. 9: 847–855.
Courtois, C. (1979). The incest experience and its aftermath. Victimol. Int. J. 4: 337–347.
Domjan, M., and Burkhard, B. (1986). The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 2nd ed., Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, CA.
Falsetti, S. A., and Resnick, H. S. (1994). Helping victims of violent crime. In Freedy, J. R., and Hobfoll, S. E. (eds.), Traumatic Stress: Theory to Practice, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 20–21.
Feierman, J. R. (1990). Introduction. In J. R. Feierman (ed.), Pedophilia: Biosocial Dimensions, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 1–8.
Geer, J. H., Morokoff, P., and Greenwood, P. (1974). Sexual arousal in women: The development of a measurement device for vaginal blood volume. Arch. Sex. Behav. 3: 559–564.
Heiman, J. R. (1977). A psychophysiological exploration of sexual arousal patterns in females and males. Psychophysiology, 14: 266–274.
Heiman, J. R. (1980). Female sexual response patterns: Interactions of physiological, affective, and contextual cues. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 37: 1311–1316.
Heiman, J. R., Rowland, D. L., Hatch, J. Pl., and Gladue, B. A. (1991). Psychophysiological and endocrine responses to sexual arousal in women. Arch. Sex. Behav. 20: 171–186.
Henson, D. E., Rubin, H. B., Henson, C., and Williams, J. (1977). Temperature changes of the labia minora as an objective measure of human female eroticism. J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiat. 8: 401–410.
Hoon, P. W., Wincze, J. P., and Hoon, E. F. (1976). Physiological assessment of sexual arousal in women. Psychophysiology 13: 196–204.
Kilpatrick, D. G., Veronen, L. J., and Resnick, H. S. (1982). Psychological sequelae to rape. In Doleys, D. M., Meredith, R. L., and Ciminero, A. R. (eds.), Behavioral Medicine: Assessment and Treatment Strategies, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 473–497.
Kremer, E. F. (1974). The truly random control procedure: Conditioning to the static cues. J. Compar. Physiol. Psychol. 86: 700–707.
Kremer, E. F., and Kamin, L. J. (1971). The truly random control procedure: Associative or nonassociative effects in rats. J. Compar. Physiol. Psychol. 74: 203–210.
Laan, E., Everaerd, W., van Bellen, G., and Hanewald, G. (1994). Women's sexual and emotional responses to male and female erotica. Arch. Sex. Behav. 23: 153–169.
Langevin, R., and Martin, M. (1975). Can erotic responses be classically conditioned? Behav. Ther. 6: 350–355.
Laumann, E. O., Gagnon, J. H., Michzel, R. T., and Michaels, S. (1994). The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, p. 371.
Letourneau, E. J., and O'Donohue, W. (1993). Sexual desire disorders. In Geer, J., and O'Donohue, W. (eds.), Handbook of the Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Dysfunctions, Allyn & Bacon, New York, pp. 135–157.
McConaghy, N. (1967). Penile volume change to moving pictures of male and female nudes in heterosexual and homosexual males. Behav. Res. Ther. 5: 43–48.
Meuwissen, I., and Over, R. (1990). Habituation and dishabituation of female sexual arousal. Behav. Res. Ther. 28: 217–226.
Nathan, S. G. (1986). The epidemiology of the DSM-III psychosexual dysfunctions. J. Sex Marital Ther. 12: 267–281.
O'Donohue, W., and Geer, J. (1993). Research issues in sexual dysfunction. In Geer, J., and O'Donohue, W. (eds.), Handbook of the Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction, Allyn & Bacon, New York, pp. 1–15.
O'Donohue, W., and Plaud, J. (1994). The conditioning of human sexual arousal. Arch. Sex. Behav. 23: 321–344.
Osborn, C. A., and Pollack, R. H. (1977). The effects of two types of erotic literature on physiological and verbal measures of female sexual arousal. J. Sex Res. 13: 250–256.
Rachman, S. (1966). Sexual fetishism: An experimental analogue. Psychol. Record 16: 293–296.
Rachman, S., and Hodgson, R. J. (1968). Experimentally-induced “sexual fetishism”: Replication and development. Psychol. Record 18: 25–27.
Rescorla, R. A. (1967). Pavlovian conditioning and its proper control procedures. Psychol. Rev. 74: 71–80.
Rubinsky, H. J., Eckerman, D. A., Rubinsky, E. W., and Hoover, C. R. (1987). Early-phase physiological response patterns to psychosexual stimuli: Comparison of male and female patterns. Arch. Sex. Behav. 16: 45–56.
Schreiner-Engel, P., Schiavi, R. C., and Smith, H. (1981). Female sexual arousal: Relation between cognitive and genital assessments. J. Sex Marital Ther. 7: 256–267.
Skinner, B. F. (1969). Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York.
Slob, A. K., Ernste, M., and Van der Werff ten Bosch, J. J. (1991). Menstrual cycle phase and sexual arousability in women. Arch. Sex. Behav. 20: 567–577.
Spector, I. P., and Carey, M. P. (1990). The incidence and prevalence of the sexual dysfunctions: A critical review of the empirical literature. Arch. Sex. Behav. 19: 389–408.
Watson, J. B. (1925). Behaviorism, Norton, New York.
Wincze, J. P., Hoon, P., and Hoon, E. F. (1976). Physiological responsivity of normal and sexually dysfunctional women during erotic stimulus exposure. J. Psychosom. Res. 20: 445–451.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Letourneau, E.J., O'Donohue, W. Classical Conditioning of Female Sexual Arousal. Arch Sex Behav 26, 63–78 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024573420228
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024573420228