Andrew Ahlgren

The female orgasm: Pelvic contractions

Eleven nulliparous women manually self-stimulated to orgasm, each on three separate occasions. Pelvic contraction pressure was measured by an anal probe and a vaginal probe simultaneously. Near the perceived start of orgasm, a series of regular contractions began in nine of the women. Anal and vaginal contraction waveforms were synchronized with each other, and the same number of orgasmic contractions occurred in each lumen. Anal pressure had a higher resting baseline and greater amplitude contractions than vaginal pressure. The perceived start of orgasm did not correspond precisely with the onset of regular contractions. Mean intercontraction intervals increased linearly at an increment of about 0.1 second through the series of regular contractions. Amplitudes of contraction pressure waveforms, representing pelvic muscular force, were initially low, increased through the first half of the regular series, and then decreased. Area and net area of the pressure waveforms, reflecting pelvic muscular exertion (force × time), increased during the regular orgasmic contractions. Three of the womens orgasms consistently included only a series of regular contractions (orgasm type I). For six other women, orgasms consistently continued beyond the regular series with additional irregular contractions (orgasm type II). Types I and II had been identified previously in men. Two women had no regular contractions during reported orgasms. This pattern, type IV, had not been recorded in men. Women of different types showed marked differences in orgasm duration and number of contractions. Identification of these types in subjects is important for meaningful comparison of contraction parameters in different studies.

Some Remarks on “Learning Environment”:

Sperry, I. V. et al. Educational and vocational goals of rural youth in the South. Bulletin 107, Southern Cooperative Series. Raleigh: North Carolina State University, 1965. Stern, G. G. Preliminary manual: Activities index; College characteristics index. Syracuse: Syracuse University, Psychological Research Center, 1958. Stern, G. G., Stein, M. J., & Bloom, B. S. Methods in personality assessment. Glencoe, 111.: The Free Press, 1956. Taylor, L., & Jones, A. R. White youth from low-income rural families: Achievement milieu and agribusiness opportunities. Paper presented at the national conference on Problems of Rural Youth in a Changing Environment, Washington, D.C., September 1963. Walberg, H. J. Structural and affective aspects of classroom climate. Psychology in the Schools, 1968, 5, 247-253. (b) Walberg, H. J. Predicting class learning: An approach to the class as a social system. American Educational Research Journal, 1969, 6, 529-542. (a) Walberg, H. J. Social environment as a mediator of classroom learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1969, 60, 443-448. (b) Walberg, H. J. Teacher personality and classroom climate. Psychology in the Schools, 1969, 5, 163-169. (c) Walberg, H. J. Class size and the social environment of learning. Human Relations, 1969, 22, 465-475. (c) Walberg, H. J., & Ahlgren, A. Predictors of the social environment of learning. American Educational Research Journal, 1970, 7, 153-167. Walberg, H. J., & Anderson, G. J. Classroom climate and individual learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1968, 59, 414-419. Yamamoto, K., Thomas, E. C, & Karns, E. A. School-related attitudes in middleschool age students. American Educational Research Journal, 1969, 6, 191206.

Film Technique for Assessing Attitudes toward Drug Users

A color, sound film depicting five young people discussing drug use was assembled and responses to each of the film characters were assessed by means of five semantic-differential scales. Factor analysis of the twenty-five responses established two scales: General Warmth, which related to all five characters, and Tolerance, which contrasted responses to users vs. non-users. The instrument was used to test participants in three workshops and two regular drug courses (and a non-drug comparison course). General Warmth was very stable in all groups. Tolerance changed significantly in all drug-training groups: the two short workshops showed increases but the longer workshop and the two courses showed decreases (which continued in delayed posttests). The results suggest that initial exposure to drug training increases acceptance of drug use, perhaps by dispelling fearsome myths, but extended training reinstates rejection, perhaps through more realistic understanding of its dangers.