ASSESSMENT OF FEMALE SEXUAL AROUSAL - RESPONSE SPECIFICITY AND CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY

Specificity of vaginal pulse amplitude and vaginal blood volume in rea ction to visual sexual stimuli was investigated by comparing responses to sexual, anxiety-inducing, sexually threatening, and neutral film e xcerpts. Subjective sexual arousal, body sensations, emotional experie nce, skin conductance, and heart rate were monitored along with the ge nital measures. Self-report data confirmed the generation of affective states as intended. Results demonstrated response specificity of vagi nal vasocongestion to sexual stimuli. In terms of both convergent and divergent validity, vaginal pulse amplitude was the superior genital m easure. Skin conductance discriminated among stimuli only to a small d egree, whereas heart rare failed to discriminate among stimuli altoget her.