Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2003

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Veanne N. Anderson

Second Advisor

June Sprock

Third Advisor

Michael J. Murphy

Abstract

Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1986) suggests that individuals differ in sexual behavior according to societal expectancies. Therefore, there may be differences in sexual responsiveness between African American and European American females, particularly to different sexual stimuli. However, few studies have investigated female sexuality and virtually none have investigated African American female sexuality. The present two-part study assessed African American and European American women's subjective sexual arousal to erotic films that vary in the ethnicity of the actors. Study one assessed participants' willingness to engage in interracial relationships, levels of sex guilt, and levels of sensation seeking. One hundred and twenty-one African American (N=46) and European American women (N=75) were recruited for Study One. In Study One there were no significant differences between African American and European American women on the Sex Guilt Inventory. However, European American women had significantly higher scores than African American women on the Sensation Seeking scale. Participants in the first study were invited to participate in the second study which assessed sexual arousal to heterosexual erotic films. The erotic films differed in the race of the actors - African American or European American. Dependent measures included ratings of subjective sexual arousal. A hypothesis based on Social Learning Theory predicted that African American women would show higher levels of sexual arousal to videos with African American actors than videos with European American actors because of societal expectancies. IV Similarly, Social Learning Theory also predicted that European American women would show higher levels of sexual arousal to videos with European American actors than videos with African American actors. In contrast, Bern's (1996) Exotic Becomes Erotic theory predicted that African American women would find erotica featuring European American actors to be more arousing, and European American women would find erotica featuring African American actors to be more arousing. Results indicated that African American women found same race videos most arousing and European American women found both videos equally arousing. European American women with higher Sensation Seeking scores and who were less willing to have sex with someone of another race were more aroused by the African American video. European American women with lower Sex Guilt scores were more aroused by the European American video. None of the variables were significant in predicting African American women's sexual arousal to the videos. Neither Social Learning theory nor Exotic Becomes Erotic theory was supported in its entirety. Perhaps if we incorporated the element of societal expectations in Social Learning theory, the autonomic arousal element of Exotic Becomes Erotic theory and opportunities for choice, a more comprehensive explanation might emerge.

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