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Biomedical subjects

D J Abrahamson

Publications and source records attributed to D J Abrahamson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Differential effects of performance demand and distraction on sexually functional and dysfunctional males.

Sexually functional and sexually dysfunctional male subjects viewed an erotic film while experiencing two different types of distraction. During a neutral distracting condition, subjects were asked to estimate the length and width of a straight line appearing on an adjacent video monitor. During the "performance demand" distraction condition, subjects viewed video feedback of their genital responses and were asked to estimate percentage of full erection. These conditions were compared to a no distraction control condition. Performance demand distraction significantly elevated the responding of functional subjects compared to the neutral distraction condition. The responding of dysfunctional subjects, on the other hand, decreased during the performance demand distraction and was significantly lower than arousal in functional subjects in this condition. Post hoc analyses examined possible cognitive and affective mediating factors of this differential response.

Adult↗

The effects of attentional focus and partner responsiveness on sexual responding: replication and extension.

The effects of manipulating attentional focus (self-versus partner-focus) and level of partner responsiveness (high, low, and ambiguous) on sexual responding were examined with sexually functional (N = 8) men. These manipulations were embedded in six standardized 3-minute erotic audiotapes. When the partner was displaying high sexual responsiveness, partner-focus resulted in significantly higher levels of penile responding than did self-focus. Post-stimuli questionnaires indicated that, although not statistically significant, self-reported attentiveness was consistently higher under partner-focus conditions. These findings are discussed in regard to their relevance to the concept of spectatoring as discussed by Masters and Johnson (1970). A comparison to previous research that examined the same variables using videotapes is included.

Adult↗