Human sexuality- paper 1 PDF

Preview

Summary

Assignment note of Human Sexuality ...

Description

Susan Martinez January 31, 2011 Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality Monday 6:00 – 8:30 PM Reaction Paper #1 The medical journal, Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior, explores the relationship between television programs and their effects on the sexual lives of adolescents, ages 12 to 17. The study viewed sexual content as sexual behavior (physical flirting, passionate kissing, intimate touch, intercourse implied, or intercourse depicted), sexual talk (talk about own/others’ plans or desires, talk about sex that has occurred, talk toward sex, expert advice or other), or sexual activity (abstinence, waiting to have sex, portrayals mentioning or showing condoms or birth control, and portrayals related to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, STDs, pregnancy, or abortion) (Collins et al). The researchers also examined other factors, such as age of participant and friends, grades in school, deviant behavior, sensationseeking behavior, parental monitoring, parent education, living with both parents, parental approval of sexual activity, religiosity, mental health, gender, race, self-esteem, educational aspirations, and mother’s work outside the home (Collins et al). The researchers of the study acquired all their findings by telephone survey with these adolescents, and following up with the participants one year later. Although the study did show positive correlational findings between TV sexual content and increased sexual behavior, there were a few areas in the study that were subject to bias. One of the areas of bias in the study was the initial assumptions. The study claimed judgment over television programs as either being high in sexual content, sexual talk, or sexual

activity, but it never accounted for the setting in which sex was portrayed. As stated in class discussion, many television programs that may include some sexual content may be comically based; hence, the sexual activity portrayed may not be interpreted as sexual as a pornographic video would. The overemphasis in the depiction of sexual content could negatively affect the study’s findings by attributing all televised programming to be negative, instead of viewed in a positive light, thus affecting the teen adversely. A better approach to the study could have been to watch the programs as would a normal teenager and reflect upon the message being conveyed by the program and not just focusing on the sexual content. In addition, the researchers could have asked if the television programs watched by the participants were comically based or drama based. Another area of potential bias in the medical journal was the study design in which the information gathered from the participants was by phone survey. The amount of honesty in every study done by survey is always something to be considered because of social desirability factors. Although the researchers tried to enhance honesty in the participants by asking them to respond in an area of privacy and compiled questions that only required yes or no answers, the textbook argues on p. 15, Chapter 1, “people are unaccustomed to answering questions about intimate details of their sex lives…”, and one could assume that this unnatural state may lead to false answers. Unfortunately, the question of reliable answers to the phone survey brings forth the question of validity. To avoid this bias, researchers could have changed the methods of the study from phone survey to in-person interviews. In my opinion, the study had its major strengths, but also had its weaknesses. The study could have been better executed if such biases were not a factor. For future studies on the same

topic, researchers will have a better argument and produce better results if these mishaps are accounted for....