HABITUATION AND DISHABITUATION OF MALE SEXUAL AROUSAL

Sixteen men were tested under conditions where they viewed the same se gment of erotic film on many occasions or engaged repeatedly in the sa me erotic fantasy. Decrements in penile tumescence and subjective sexu al arousal over trials were accompanied by reports from Ss that they f elt less absorbed in the events depicted in film or fantasy (and in th e case of fantasy, that the images they formed became less vivid). Ana lysis of covariance showed that habituation (reduction in physiologica l and subjective measures of sexual arousal over trials was less when allowance was made for the manner in which absorption (and in vividnes s of imagery in the case of fantasy) changed during erotic stimulation . Increases in sexual arousal when novel erotic stimulation was introd uced following habituation, as well as the dishabituation found when t he original stimulus was reinstated, also correlated with the extent a bsorption and vividness of imagery shifted under these conditions. The results are discussed with reference to whether habituation of male s exual arousal is mediated by changes that occur in absorption and othe r aspects of information processing during repeated erotic stimulation .