Developing Valid and Feasible Measures of Sexual Consent for Experience Sampling Methodology

Figures & data

Table 1. Operational definitions for each measured aspect of sexual consent

Aspect of Sexual Consent	Operational Definition
Internal Consent Feelings
Physical Response	Feelings associated with the body’s automatic response to an engaging or exciting stimulus
Safety/Comfort	Feelings associated with a calm assurance that everything will be okay and reflecting the absence of worry or distress
Arousal	Feelings associated with being titillated or drawn to engaging in sexual activity
Agreement/Want	Aspects of a sexual encounter that make it seem to have been a willing and desired interaction between those involved
Readiness	Feelings associated with a confidence that one is prepared to engage in sexual activity
External Consent Communication
Explicit	Communication that people will most likely understand at face-value – without much subtext or hinting (Explicit cues may be verbal or nonverbal)
Implicit	Communication that people may or may not understand at face-value – but likely involves subtext or hinting (Implicit cues may be verbal or nonverbal)
Verbal	Communication that relies on words; as such, people can say things to express an intention or desire (Verbal cues may be explicit or implicit)
Nonverbal	Communication that does not rely on words; rather, people can do something or move part of their body to express an intention or desire (Nonverbal cues may be explicit or implicit)

Table 2. Structured concurrent cognitive interview prompts

Type of Sexual Consent
Internal Consent Feelings
What did this series of feelings seem to be getting at?
Which of these words best captures [insert previous response]?
Can you tell me why you chose this word?
Are there any other words not listed here that you think would be better?
Do these words reflect being willing to engage in sexual activity?
Were any of these words weird?
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
Are there any other feelings that you associate with consenting to sexual activity?
External Consent Communication
For these words, how would you define the type of communication being described?
What are examples of signals of sexual consent that are [insert previous response]?
Which of these words best captures [insert previous response]?
Can you tell me why you chose this word?
Are there any other words not listed here that you think would be better?
Were any of these words weird?
Were any of these questions difficult to answer?
Is there a better word for “signal?”

Table 3. Pilot study results for ESM measures of internal consent feelings

	Time Points		Physical Response		Safety/Comfort		Arousal		Agreement/Want		Readiness
	Completed	With Sex. Act.	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Participant 1	19	7 (36.8%)	6.7	1.7	8.3	1.1	7.6	0.8	8.5	1.0	8.1	1.1
Participant 2	27	6 (22.2)	9.2	1.3	9.8	0.4	10.0	0.0	9.7	0.8	10.0	0.0
Participant 3	19	5 (26.3)	5.8	3.3	10.0	0.0	8.8	1.6	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0
Participant 4	11	3 (27.7)	5.0	1.7	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0
Participant 5	21	3 (14.3)	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0
Participant 6	19	2 (10.5)	7.5	0.7	9.0	0.0	8.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	9.0	0.0
Participant 7	28	2 (7.1)	6.5	2.1	9.5	0.7	7.0	1.4	9.5	0.7	9.5	0.7
Participant 8	10	1 (10.0)	9.0	–	10.0	–	8.0	–	10.0	–	10.0	–
Participant 9	14	1 (7.1)	8.0	–	10.0	–	10.0	–	10.0	–	10.0	–
Participant 10	27	1 (3.7)	8.0	–	7.0	–	9.0	–	10.0	–	8.0	–

“With Sex. Act.” refers to the number of time points during the 7-day pilot study that a participant reported engaging in sexual activity with their partner. The value in parentheses is the percentage of completed surveys for which a participant reported partnered sexual activity.

Table 4. Pilot study results for ESM measures of external consent communication

	Time Points		Explicit		Implicit		Verbal		Nonverbal
	Completed	With Sex. Act.	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Participant 1	19	7 (36.8%)	5.0	3.5	5.4	3.3	5.1	3.5	8.1	1.1
Participant 2	27	6 (22.2)	7.0	3.0	9.3	1.0	7.0	3.7	9.0	0.9
Participant 3	19	5 (26.3)	10.0	9.6	8.0	0.9	9.4	1.3	9.6	0.9
Participant 4	11	3 (27.7)	8.0	1.7	8.3	1.5	3.7	0.6	10.0	0.0
Participant 5	21	3 (14.3)	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0	10.0	0.0
Participant 6	19	2 (10.5)	7.0	1.4	6.0	2.8	3.0	4.2	9.0	1.4
Participant 7	28	2 (7.1)	9.0	1.4	8.0	0.0	7.0	1.4	8.0	0.0
Participant 8	10	1 (10.0)	8.0	–	8.0	–	8.0	–	8.0	–
Participant 9	14	1 (7.1)	10.0	–	0.0	–	10.0	–	0.0	–
Participant 10	27	1 (3.7)	10.0	–	3.0	–	10.0	–	3.0	–

“With Sex. Act.” refers to the number of time points during the 7-day pilot study that a participant reported engaging in sexual activity with their partner. The value in parentheses is the percentage of completed surveys for which a participant reported partnered sexual activity.

Table 5. Bivariate correlations between internal consent feelings and external consent communication

	IC_P	IC_S	IC_A	IC_W	IC_R	EC_E	EC_I	EC_V
IC_P	–
IC_S	.15	–
IC_A	.53**	.40*	–
IC_W	.14	.77***	.34	–
IC_R	.17	.95***	.49**	.77***	–
EC_E	.05	.46**	.27	.53**	.57***	–
EC_I	.15	.63**	.32	.41*	.62***	.47**	–
EC_V	.20	.38*	.19	.43*	.46**	.69***	.31	–
EC_N	.03	.43*	.13	.20	.36*	.02	.73***	−.03

Internal consent feelings: physical response (IC_P), safety/comfort (IC_S), arousal (IC_A), agreement/want (IC_W), and readiness (IC_R). External consent communication: explicit cues (EC_E), implicit cues (EC_I), verbal cues (EC_V), nonverbal cues (EC_N).

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.