LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Chapter 2 Understanding Human Sexuality: Theory
and Research
Theories about Sexuality
1. Explain what a theory is/does.
2. Summarize the key elements of Sigmund Freud’s theory on personality formation
and psychosexual development.
3. Explain behavioral theory and social learning theory and discuss the distinctions
between them.
4. Describe cognitive theory and humanistic theory.
5. Compare biological theory and evolutionary theory.
6. Describe how six different societal institutions influence the rules and regulations
a society holds about sexual expression from a sociological theoretical
perspective.
7. Explain how feminist and queer theories differ from traditional theories.
8. Compare and contrast the different theories about sexuality, and provide
definitions of each theory: psychoanalytic, behavioral, social learning, cognitive,
humanistic, biological, evolutionary, sociological, feminist, and queer.
Sexuality Research: Philosophers, Physicians, and Sexologists
9. Describe the Greek forefathers of sex research as well as the early sex research.
10. Discuss more recent studies of sexuality.
11. Define sexology, and explain the role sexologists play in sexuality research from
both a historical and contemporary perspective.
12. Provide examples of “problem-driven” research and research that is not guided by
problematic sexuality.
Sexuality Researchers
13. Describe the contributions of Iwan Bloch, Albert Moll, Magnus HIrschfeld,
Richard van Krafft-Ebing, and Havelock Ellis.
14. Discuss the contributions of individuals in the U.S., including Clelia Mosher,
Katharine Bement Davis, Alfred Kinsey, Morton Hunt, and Masters and Johnson.
15. Discuss the key aspects of Alfred Kinsey’s research including his methodology,
sampling techniques, findings, and limitations of his research.
16. Explain how interviewer bias and volunteer bias can limit a research study in
sexuality.
17. Discuss the key aspects of Masters and Johnson’s research including their
methodology, sampling techniques, findings, and limitations of their research.
18. Explain how the research of Hooker and Bell and Weinberg contributed to
understanding sexual orientation; discuss limitations of these studies.
19. Discuss the methodology and findings of the Janus Report as well as the NHSLS.
20. Describe the research methodologies that have been used to learn about
adolescent sexuality and some of the major areas of inquiry.
21. Summarize the research findings on sexuality in older adults.
Sex Research Methods and Considerations
22. Define each of the following research terms: validity, reliability, and
generalizability.
23. Define the following research methods, providing examples of each: case study,
questionnaire, interview, direct observation, participant-observation, experimental
methods, and correlational studies.
24. Identify the key elements of experimental methods.
Problems and Issues in Sex Research
25. Provide examples of the problems and issues in sex research: ethical issues,
volunteer bias, sampling problems, and reliability.
Sexuality Research Across Cultures
26. Describe Marshall and Suggs classic cross-cultural research.
27. Summarize the research findings from the large-scale sexuality studies in France
as well as the Pfizer Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behavior.
Sex Research in the Future: Beyond Problem-Driven Research
28. Discuss some of the challenges sexuality research faces in the future.