Marita P. McCabe

Measurement of Depth of Desired and Experienced Sexual Involvement at Different Stages of Dating

Abstract A scale was constructed which may be used to measure depth of desired and experienced sexual involvement during various stages of dating. Consisting of 12 items, the scale was constructed after administering a scale of 16 items, derived from previously published scales, to 259 subjects. Test‐retest reliability for the desired behaviors and actual experiences of 61 subjects was found to range as high as .86 for dating desires to .96 for dating behavior. The coefficients of reproducibility and scalability were found to range from .94 to .95 and from .70 to .79, respectively, using 2,001 subjects. Coefficient alpha ranged from .87 to .99 for different uses of the scale. Item to total correlations and construct validity were examined using the responses of 156 subjects and 259 subjects, respectively. Results showed that although initial differences existed between the sexes, compatibility of behavior and desire developed over stages of dating and with increasing age. Criterion validity was measured u...

Body Percept Change in Obese Females after Weight Reduction Therapy.

Video-image representations of body size were measured on a television monitor that was modified to give a display continuum that ranged from 50% under- to 50% over-estimation of objective size. Sixty-eight females who were undergoing weight reduction counseling were measured before and after treatment. All Ss judged themselves to be significantly more obese than they actually were, with a tendency for errors to be greatest among the more obese Ss. After therapy, more realistic estimates of their physiques ensued. A drop-out rate of 23% was recorded; the drop-outs saw themselves as significantly more obese than those who graduated from the program.

An evaluation of therapeutic programs for the treatment of secondary inorgasmia in women

This paper is concerned with a review and evaluation of programs for the treatment of secondary inorgasmia in women. Treatments address a wide range of factors. They include medical and psychiatric disorders, lack of sexual knowledge and communication between partners, marital disharmony, sexual anxiety, and performance anxiety. These treatment approaches are evaluated, along with the effectiveness of Masters and Johnsons therapy, and the many variants of this approach. The use of erotic fantasy in the treatment of this condition is also discussed. Conclusions are limited by the nature of research in this area. It is essentially clinical in form. Often it fails to define the characteristics of the conditions that are required to assess contributing factors, treatment strategies, and pre- and posttreatment measures.

Sexual desire, general arousability, and sexual dysfunction

To determine the interrelationships among neuroticism, general arousability, sexual desire, and sexual dysfunction in women, two studies were conducted. The first found a significant positive correlation between general arousability and neuroticism. The second found a curvilinear relationship between general arousability and sexual dysfunction, and a negative correlation between levels of sexual desire and sexual dysfunction. Implications for therapy with sexually dysfunctional women are discussed.

The sexual and affectional attitudes and experiences of Australian adolescents during dating: The effects of age, church attendance, type of school, and socioeconomic class

The dating attitudes and behaviors of Australian youth were studied. Both sexual and affectional attitudes and behaviors were examined. The influence of the following factors was assessed: stages of dating, age, socioeconomic status, church attendance, and type of school attended. Psychosexual and psychoaffectional scales were used to measure dating orientation. Findings suggest that factors influencing sexual orientation are the stage of dating, age, church attendance, and type of school attended. Factors influencing psychoaffectional orientation are stage of dating, church attendance, and type of school attended. One important verification to emerge from the research was that the psychosexual and psychoaffectional orientations were not opposite poles of a single continuum but were totally independent dimensions. It is possible to score high or low on both dimensions depending on past experience, present attitudes and the nature of the present relationship. Further, the male psychoaffectional orientation was not markedly different from the female orientation, as has been previously suggested.

WOMEN'S EXPERIENCE OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

The present study was concerned with the evaluation of a number of factors which have claimed to be associated with womens experience of the menstrual cycle. The experience was assessed by obtaining self-report measures of mood, sexual arousal and attribution about feelings among women. These factors were related to cycle phase, awareness of phase and number and severity of symptoms. The results indicated that there were no significant differences among the phase groups in strength of mood or number and severity of symptoms. There was a positive relationship between number and severity of symptoms and strength of mood. The results suggest that both culturally held attitudes towards menstruation and biological events should be considered in any explanation of a womans experience of the menstrual cycle.

Intercorrelations among General Arousability, Emerging and Current Sexual Desire, and Severity of Sexual Dysfunction in Women:

Intercorrelations among general trait arousability, emerging sexual desire, current sexual desire, lack of sexual desire perceived as a problem, and sexual dysfunction were assessed in 65 women currently involved in marital or de facto heterosexual relationships. The Stimulus Screening Test was used to measure general arousability and the Assessment of Sexual Function and Dysfunction Questionnaire was used to measure emerging sexual desire, current sexual desire, lack of sexual desire, and sexual dysfunction. Analysis showed that arousability was positively associated with current levels of sexual desire which was negatively associated with sexual dysfunction. There was a curvilinear relationship between arousability and sexual dysfunction, with women experiencing both high and low levels of arousability being more likely to score higher on measures of sexual dysfunction than those experiencing medium levels of arousal. The possible implications of these results are discussed.

The influence of sex and sex role on the dating attitudes and behavior of Australian youth

The present study was designed to assess the dating attitudes and behaviors of Australian adolescents. The psychosexual and psychoaffectional orientations to dating are considered. The influence of a number of variables was assessed: the stage of dating, biological sex, and sex role of respondents. Subjects were drawn from varied backgrouds to represent the general population. The affectional attitudes and behavior of respondents were influenced by the stage of dating, the sex role, and to a lesser extent, the biological sex. Sex-types individuals were more restricted in their experiences than androgynous respondents until the committed levels of a relationship. The psychosexual and psychoaffectional orientations to dating appear to operate independently allowing both sexes to experience either sexual and affectional behaviors during dating. When assessing dating patterns it appears useful to consider both the sex and sex role of the respondents, as well as their sexual and affectional orientations to dating. Our data suggest that this results in a more valid picture of dating patterns.

The measurement of the psychoaffectional orientation to dating

SynopsisA short affectional scale of 12 items was devised to measure the psychoaffectional aspects of dating. Items were prepared from a list submitted by 60 respondents and refined after administration to a further 259 subjects. Because of the lack of variance and of the homogeneity of responses, test-retest reliability measures were expressed in percentages. For 115 students, when going steady, the percentages ranged as high as 92 and 99 per cent. Test-retest reliability for affections which were experienced in subjects on the first date was 0.36, after several dates was 0.91 and when going steady was 0.99.Content, construction and criterion validity were examined using content, cluster and item analysis. The scale was found to be multidimensional and the amount of affection was found to increase with the depth of the dating relationship. A study of 29 dyads within a going steady relationship showed that 93% agreed perfectly in the level of affection they expected and expressed.

Influence of Age and Body Proportions on Weight Loss of Obese Women after Treatment

At the conclusion of a treatment program for obesity, the influence of age and several pretreatment measures of body proportion (weight, height, symphysis height, finger tip span, body surface area, and linearity index) on weight loss were assessed. All 42 volunteering females lost weight; however, the extent of loss was uninfluenced by the above variables. Weight loss was highly correlated with changes in measures of body surface (.77) and linearity (— .92).