Sex attracts: Investigating individual differences in attentional bias to sexual stimuli

Abstract We investigated the impact of sexual stimuli and the influence of sexual motivation on the performance in a dot-probe task and a line-orientation task in a large sample of males and females. All pictures (neutral, erotic) were rated on the dimensions of valence, arousal, disgust, and sexual arousal. Additionally, questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation were employed. The ratings of the sexual stimuli point to a successful picture selection because sexual arousal did not differ between the sexes. The stimuli were equally arousing for men and women. Higher scores in the employed questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation led to higher sexual arousal ratings of the sex pictures. Attentional bias towards sex pictures was observed in both experimental tasks. The attentional biases measured by the dot-probe and the lineorientation task were moderately intercorrelated suggesting attentional bias as a possible marker for a sex-attention trait. Finally, only the sexual sensation seeking score correlated with the attentional biases of the two tasks. Future research is needed to increase the predictive power of these indirect measures of sexual interest

Sex attracts: investigating individual differences in attentional bias to sexual stimuli.

We investigated the impact of sexual stimuli and the influence of sexual motivation on the performance in a dot-probe task and a line-orientation task in a large sample of males and females. All pictures (neutral, erotic) were rated on the dimensions of valence, arousal, disgust, and sexual arousal. Additionally, questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation were employed. The ratings of the sexual stimuli point to a successful picture selection because sexual arousal did not differ between the sexes. The stimuli were equally arousing for men and women. Higher scores in the employed questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation led to higher sexual arousal ratings of the sex pictures. Attentional bias towards sex pictures was observed in both experimental tasks. The attentional biases measured by the dot-probe and the line-orientation task were moderately intercorrelated suggesting attentional bias as a possible marker for a sex-attention trait. Finally, only the sexual sensation seeking score correlated with the attentional biases of the two tasks. Future research is needed to increase the predictive power of these indirect measures of sexual interest

Interpersonelle Attraktion aus sozialpsychologischer Perspektive

Eyssel FA. Interpersonelle Attraktion aus sozialpsychologischer Perspektive. In: Stirn A, Stark R, Tabbert K, Wehrum-Osinsky S, Oddo S, eds. Sexualität, Körper und Neurobiologie. Grundlagen und Störungsbilder im interdisziplinären Fokus. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer; 2013: 79-86

Schematic depiction of the line-orientation task.

<p>Schematic depiction of the line-orientation task.</p

Intercorrelations (with 95% confidence intervals in brackets) of the experimental scores for the entire group and for males and females separately.

<p>^°significant sex difference in correlation (no familywise error correction).</p><p>*significant after familywise error correction for the tests of 8 correlations (4 dot-probe scores by 2 line-orientation scores) using all subjects.</p><p>Confidence intervals not encompassing zero are written in bold.</p><p>Intercorrelations (with 95% confidence intervals in brackets) of the experimental scores for the entire group and for males and females separately.</p

Schematic depiction of the line-orientation task.

<p>Schematic depiction of the line-orientation task.</p

Dot-probe task: Mean reaction times [ms], SD and 95% confidence intervals (in brackets) for the trial conditions and the four difference scores for males, females, and the entire group.

<p>*significant after familywise error correction for the tests of four scores using all subjects.</p><p>For difference scores Hedges's g with confidence intervals are added.</p><p>Dot-probe task: Mean reaction times [ms], SD and 95% confidence intervals (in brackets) for the trial conditions and the four difference scores for males, females, and the entire group.</p

Ratings (disgust, valence, arousal, sexual arousal) of the different picture categories (neutral, softcore, hardcore).

<p>Ratings (disgust, valence, arousal, sexual arousal) of the different picture categories (neutral, softcore, hardcore).</p

Means and SD of the SDI and its subscales (Sexual Desire Inventory; rating scale ranging from 0 to 8), the SCS (Sexual Compulsivity Scale; rating scale ranging from 0 to 3), and the SSSS (Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale; rating scale ranging from 0 to 3) for males and females.

<p>Effect sizes for sex differences are provided with their 95% confidence interval.</p><p>Means and SD of the SDI and its subscales (Sexual Desire Inventory; rating scale ranging from 0 to 8), the SCS (Sexual Compulsivity Scale; rating scale ranging from 0 to 3), and the SSSS (Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale; rating scale ranging from 0 to 3) for males and females.</p