Deck 1: Cultural, Historical, and Research Perspectives on Sexuality

Question 1

Which of the following statements most accurately describes Victorian-era attitudes toward marital sex and love?

A) Sexual attraction and love are considered good foundations for marriage.
B) Sex and love are considered separate human experiences.
C) The ideal love includes sexual passion.
D) Both sex and love are to be enjoyed outside the marital union.

Answer 1

Sex and love are considered separate human experiences.

Question 2

Social wars regarding sexuality education, television and advertising content, museums devoted to sexuality, and politically volatile issues such as abortion and gay marriage are examples of American

A) agreement.
B) ambivalence.
C) compromise.
D) harmony.

Answer 2

ambivalence.

Question 3

Research on sexual behavior in the United States indicates that since World War II

A) changes have been very slight compared with those that occurred during the Victorian era.
B) very significant changes in attitudes and behaviors have occurred.
C) men's sexual attitudes and behaviors have changed significantly; however, no similar change has occurred among women.
D) changes in sexual attitudes and behaviors have occurred mainly among middle-class whites and have not spread to other groups.

Answer 3

very significant changes in attitudes and behaviors have occurred.

Question 4

Among the factors contributing to changes in sexual attitudes and behavior in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s were

A) the counterculture's questioning of social institutions and authority.
B) the advertising industry's emphasis on sex appeal and sexual freedom.
C) shifting attitudes toward the roles of men and women.
D) All of these

Question 5

According to recent scientific surveys, most Americans

A) have large numbers of sexual partners and a wide repertoire of sexual behaviors.
B) pattern their lovemaking after what they observe in movies.
C) have little interest in sex and are more concerned with money and power.
D) engage in less frequent sex and a narrower range of activities than is commonly thought.

Question 6

How has HIV changed American sexual behavior?

A) Fear of HIV infection has resulted in more people abstaining from sex before marriage.
B) Nonmarital sexual activity has declined.
C) Awareness of the need to make sexual decisions with care has increased.
D) Premarital sexual activity has increased dramatically among women but not among men.

Question 7

Politics and "traditional" values are intertwined with which of the following sexual issues?

A) Abortion and access to contraception
B) Funding for sex-related research
C) Sexuality education
D) All of these

Question 8

The predominant social attitude relating to human sexuality is

A) nonexistent.
B) procreational or traditional.
C) recreational.
D) relational.

Question 9

According to Richard von Krafft-Ebing, the cause of all sexual deviations is

A) a brain disorder.
B) childhood sexual abuse.
C) masturbation.
D) unconscious conflict.

Question 10

Which statement most accurately describes Iwan Bloch's contribution to our understanding of sexual behavior?

A) Bloch carried out the first laboratory study of human sexual response.
B) Bloch conducted the first scientific survey about then-current sexual practices.
C) Bloch was the first to apply a historical approach to understanding sexual behavior.
D) Bloch was the first to recognize that sexual problems were often at the root of mental illnesses.

Question 11

Which statement most accurately describes the contributions of Richard von Krafft-Ebing to our understanding of human sexual behavior?

A) Although his opinions and biases had no scientific basis, his views influenced medicine and psychiatry for a long time.
B) He was the first to take a historical approach to understanding particular types of sexual behaviors.
C) By studying sexual behavior across different cultures, he broadened our conception of what is acceptable sexual behavior.
D) He was the first to apply the survey method to sex research.

Question 12

The idea that sexuality is at the core of personality development and affects adult life and mental health is most associated with

A) Henry Havelock Ellis.
B) Sigmund Freud.
C) Alfred Kinsey.
D) Helena Wright.

Question 13

Which of the following individuals made positive contributions toward liberating female sexual pleasure?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Alfred Kinsey
C) Richard von Krafft-Ebing
D) Helena Wright

Question 14

Alfred Kinsey contributed greatly to our understanding of sexual behavior by

A) writing a marriage manual that opposed the restrictions of the Victorian age.
B) developing a theory of psychosexual development that emphasized childhood sexuality.
C) interviewing thousands of Americans about their sexual behavior and attitudes.
D) collecting laboratory data on sexual responses.

Question 15

Although Kinsey and his colleagues interviewed thousands of people for his groundbreaking studies, his results are considered flawed because his interviewees were

A) a biased sample in terms of the age-group represented.
B) a sample of convenience.
C) encouraged to exaggerate the frequency and variety of their behaviors.
D) still influenced by Victorian sexual attitudes.

Question 16

Jack Smith was a research participant in Masters and Johnson's research during the early 1950s. Most likely, what aspect of Jack's sexuality was studied?

A) The development of his gender identity and masculinity
B) His attitudes toward behaviors such as masturbation and same-gender sexual behavior
C) The frequency of his premarital and extramarital sexual activity
D) His physiological responses during masturbation and coitus

Question 17

Ken is having sexual difficulties and consults a sex therapist for help. The techniques this therapist might use are based on the research efforts of

A) Alfred Kinsey.
B) John Money.
C) William Masters and Virginia Johnson.
D) Philip Blumstein and Pepper Schwartz.

Question 18

Which of the following was not one of the methodological approaches used by researchers in the National Health and Social Life Survey?

A) They selected households with eligible subjects in randomly chosen areas of the country.
B) They attempted to interview all eligible members of the household in each of the households selected.
C) They gathered data through face-to-face interviews conducted by trained survey researchers.
D) They sometimes returned to households several times to persuade all of the desired participants to cooperate with the interviews.

Question 19

The recent study on American sexual behavior that is generally considered the most accurate is the

A) National Health and Social Life Survey.
B) Janus Report on Sexual Behavior.
C) Redbook survey.
D) American Couples study.

Question 20

Which of the following factors would be most critical to ensuring that a survey on condom use among students at your institution gave statistically reliable and generalizable results?

A) Who conducted the study and when it was conducted during the academic year
B) The length of the questionnaire and how respondents returned it to the researchers
C) The representativeness of the sample and the response rate of the participants
D) Whether questions were multiple choice or true/false and the reading level of the participants

Question 21

In conducting sex research, the best type of sample is a _____ sample.

A) clinical
B) naturally occurring
C) random
D) volunteer

Question 22

To obtain an accurate measure of the number of students at your school who typically engage in oral-genital sexual activity, you should select a _____ sample.

A) normal
B) random
C) sexually active
D) volunteer

Question 23

When it comes to sex surveys, the most studied population group in the U.S. is

A) adolescents.
B) college students.
C) minority group members.
D) young married couples.

Question 24

One strength of the case study approach in sex research is that case studies

A) provide an in-depth look at individual circumstances.
B) can be easily generalized to other populations.
C) generally involve atypical sexual behaviors.
D) None of these

Question 25

Elsa is a participant in a study in which her blood flow, level of vaginal lubrication, and heart rate are monitored as she reads either nonerotic or erotic material. This study involves

A) case study material.
B) laboratory observation.
C) field observation.
D) ethnosexual data collection.

Question 26

A researcher varies room temperature as groups of research subjects read erotic material. The researcher measures the effect on their level of sexual arousal. What research method is being employed here?

A) Controlled laboratory experiment
B) Ethnosexual field study
C) Case study
D) Observation in a natural setting

Question 27

Before completing a questionnaire about her sexual attitudes and behavior, Nancy reads and signs a statement in which she agrees that she understands the purpose of the study and what will be expected of her as a participant. What ethical principle is involved here?

A) Evaluation of the value of the study versus risks to participants
B) Confidentiality
C) Protection from psychological and physical harm
D) Informed consent

Question 28

Dr. Lawrence completes a proposal for a study of condom use by students at her university. To ensure that this study is ethical, she will

A) have the proposal evaluated by her university's human-research review committee.
B) decide whether to use experimentation or the survey method.
C) be sure to obtain a representative sample of participants.
D) obtain consent for participation from the students' parents.

Question 29

A Eurocentric perspective is most accurately described as

A) a nonjudgmental approach.
B) one that allows for diversity.
C) a viewpoint based on European culture.
D) an egalitarian approach.

Question 30

Jason belongs to a religious group that sees the primary purpose of sexual activity to be the eventual birth of children. The sexual attitudes of this religious group are classified as

A) procreational.
B) relational.
C) recreational.
D) nontraditional.

Question 31

In Ravi's society, it is recognized that love between two people often leads them to sexual activity both before and after marriage. The sexual attitudes of this group are classified as

A) procreational.
B) relational.
C) interpersonal.
D) recreational.

Question 32

Emma believes that any sexual activity between two consenting adults is acceptable as long as both individuals enjoy it. Her sexual attitude is classified as

A) procreational.
B) relational.
C) recreational.
D) educational.

Question 33

Helen wants to have sex with her boyfriend, Bob, as one more way of "having fun together." Bob wants to know if Helen really cares for him before they have intercource. Their conflict may be described as one that involves

A) traditional versus nontraditional attitudes.
B) Victorian versus modern attitudes.
C) recreational versus relational attitudes.
D) promiscuous versus cautious attitudes.

Question 34

______________________ wrote Psychopathia Sexualis, in which the dangers of masturbation were emphasized.

Question 35

______________________ published A Thousand Marriages, based on reports of 5,200 women patients.

Question 36

Traditional Victorian attitudes toward female sexuality did not shift substantially until the 1980s.

Question 37

Because attitudes toward nonmarital sex, teenage sexual activity, and same-gender sexual activity are inherently related to each other, cultures can be easily categorized as permissive or nonpermissive.

Question 38

A major problem in assessing the accuracy of survey research is that those who respond may be very different from those who do not.

Question 39

Current techniques of sex therapy originated from the research of William Masters and Virginia Johnson.

Question 40

Research based on individuals who seek treatment for a sexual problem is called experimentation.

Question 41

Describe the three categories, based on assumptions about the purpose of sex, which researchers have used to describe North American attitudes toward sex.

Question 42

What were the major weaknesses of Kinsey's research?

Question 43

William Masters and Virginia Johnson made major contributions in which three areas of sexual knowledge?

Question 44

Describe the significance of the National Health and Social Life Survey.

Question 45

A group of students wants to conduct a survey about some aspect of sexual behavior on their campus. What are two of the most important issues they must deal with to ensure that their results can be generalized?

Question 46

List seven areas of sexual behavior about which attitudes have changed substantially during the last several decades.

Question 47

How have attitudes in the U.S. toward the roles of women and men in sexual activity changed over the last several decades?

Question 48

How has the fear of HIV and AIDS both changed and failed to change sexual attitudes and behaviors?

Question 49

Describe the two forms of bias that may influence research on sexuality.

Question 50

How did technology influence sexual behavior in the twentieth century?

Question 51

Your class decides to conduct a study of some aspect of sexual behavior on your campus. What ethical issues must be considered, and how will they be resolved?

Question 52

Think of three recent or popular books or movies. Was the sexual behavior depicted in these three works procreational, relational, or recreational? Explain.

Question 53

Describe at least four trends or challenges that will affect sex research and theory in the twenty-first century.