Psychophysiologic assessment of erectile response and its suppression as a function of stimulus media and previous experience with plethysmography

Abstract

The present study examined college men's (N = 35) differential ability to suppress sexual arousal as a function of (a) stimulus media (audio‐only vs. audiovisual), (b) experience with the procedure, and (c) novelty of the stimulus material. Further, galvanic skin response (GSR) and finger pulse amplitude (FPA) were examined as possible methods of detecting attempts to suppress sexual arousal. In general, participants were able to reduce substantially their plethysmographically‐assessed erectile response, and these efforts were not significantly detectable through GSR or FPA measurement. Further, neither experience nor stimulus novelty were found to have a significant effect on arousal or the ability to suppress it. Participants were, however, less aroused in response to audio‐only presentations than audiovisual presentations once they were experienced with the procedure. This effect, in combination with participants’ considerable ability to suppress, could result in more false negative conclusions being drawn when audio‐only, versus audiovisual stimulation, is used in sex‐offender plethysmography.