Automatic processes and the appraisal of sexual stimuli: Toward an information processing model of sexual arousal

TLDR

The study proposes a model of sexual arousal that emphasizes how automatic and controlled cognitive processes interact to differentially influence subjective and physiological arousal. The authors tested this model with two priming studies involving sexually functional men, using physiological and behavioral measures to assess automatic processing of sexual stimuli. The priming studies revealed that automatic processing can influence sexual arousal, with priming reducing penile erection in sexual trials and faster decision times for sexual stimuli at lower accessibility levels, suggesting that automatic and controlled processes differentially affect arousal.

Abstract

A model of sexual arousal is presented that highlights the interaction between automatic and controlled cognitive processes and proposes that different levels of cognitive processing can differentially affect subjective and physiological sexual arousal. In addition, two studies are presented in which the role of automatic processes was explored using a priming paradigm. Subjects were sexually functional men. In the first study an effect of priming was found on penile erection. Unexpectedly, responses were lower in sexual than in neutral trials. In the second study support was found, using a behavioral measure (decision time), for the notion that the meaning of sexual stimuli can be perceived in a fast, automatic manner. Priming was most successful at lower levels of stimulus accessibility. The model and experimental approach presented in this article render starting points for new research on response discordance, gender differences in the processing of sexual stimuli, and inhibition of sexual response.