Psychology 2075 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Masturbation

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2075
• Professor: Corey Isaacs

Document Summary

Sex is more than having sexual intercourse. Scientists think human sexual development as a process that occurs throughout the lifespan. Influences by biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. Freud thought all crucial aspects of development were to occur in childhood. Newer lifespan approach to understanding development of our sexual behaviour throughout the course of our lives. Most of data comes from surveys in which adults are questioned about their childhood sexual behaviour (self report, subject to reporting biases- exaggeration or concealment) May be error from forgetting, hard to report sexual behaviour when you were 10 if you are now 60. Alternative to interview children about their sexual behaviour, rarely done, opposition from parents, politicians may argue it would harm the children studied. Reactions reflect beliefs that children are not yet sexual being, should not be exposed to questions about sex. Recent innovation of talking computer to interview children.