![Sample our Social Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110822/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Social-Sciences.jpg"})
The capacity for sensate experience develops very early in life, begining prenatally. What the child lacks is opportunity, not capacity. Yet children are denied the full range of sexual experiences consistent with their capacity. At least this is true of children brought up in secretive and repressive societies.
On the other hand, the full range of cognitive capacity in humans does not emerge during childhood and is not available until adolescence at best. Management of the sexual life at a rational level appears difficult to attain for persons brought up in secretive repressive societies. Therefore much more thought and attention has to go into the development of quality sex education, education that takes into account the child's cognitive capacity plus any developmental lag in learning resulting from lack of prior sexual experience or the negative effects of furtive sexual encounters and negative parental reactions to such encounters.
Notes
Paper presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex, November 1, 1975, New York, New York.
Floyd M. Martinson, Ph.D., is Professor, Department of Sociology, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter Minnesota; 56082.
