Federally funded study measures porn arousal *(see note below) By Robert Stacy McCain THE WASHINGTON TIMES A federally funded study has paid women as much as $75 to watch pornographic videos to determine "what types of audiovisual erotica women find sexually arousing." Women participating in the $147,000 study at Northwestern University â funded through the federal National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) â were paid to "watch a series of commercially available film clips, some of which will be sexually explicit, while we monitor your body's sexual arousal," according to a flyer seeking volunteers for the study. Funding for the research comes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget, which has more than doubled in the past five years. The two-year study began in September 2001 and is intended to "assess the subjective and genital arousal of 180 lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual women as they watch erotic video clips of lesbian, gay, or heterosexual interactions," primary researcher J. Michael Bailey explained in a description of the project. "We have some really great results on it, and I think it's going to make a big splash," Mr. Bailey said of the research, which he said he hopes to publish soon. In 1991, Mr. Bailey made headlines as one of the first researchers to say homosexuality is "substantially genetic," a conclusion based on studies of twins. Previous studies have shown that male sexual arousal is "target specific" â that is, that heterosexual males respond to depictions of females, while homosexual men respond to images of males, Mr. Bailey said. "There has been inadequate attention to the question of whether female sexual orientation is target specific," Mr. Bailey wrote in a grant proposal. "However, some research including our own preliminary data, suggests that target specificity is much weaker for women than for men." Early reports of the study, including in Northwestern University's daily newspaper, indicate that women's responses to the pornographic videos did not differ whether the images were of male-female couples, lesbians, or homosexual men. Rep. Dave Weldon, Florida Republican, cited the Northwestern study as an example of misplaced research priorities, saying he asked NICHD three years ago to study whether the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was associated with autism. "The NIH couldn't find the money to look into this relationship between kids with regressive autism and the mandatory MMR vaccine, but they can pay people $150,000 to watch pornography," Mr. Weldon said. "This is disgusting, and is a clear example of distorted priorities at the NIH. The NIH message to parents of autistic children: Don't look to us for help." Funding for NIH has increased from $13 billion in fiscal 1998 to $27.2 billion sought by the Bush administration for the current fiscal year. The White House proposed raising NIH funding by $3.7 billion a year, which would be a 16 percent increase. That increase is reflected in the $27.2 billion NIH budget that has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but House appropriators have yet to mark up the appropriations bill. A spokesman for NICHD said the agency "covers all aspects of human development." "Our institute does things that are not directly involved with children's health. So it's a misnomer to say that it's just child health." Reports of Northwestern's video sex research have prompted some ridicule, landing the study a spot in the nationally syndicated "News of the Weird" feature, but Mr. Bailey said it's no laughing matter. "I think it's extremely important research, and I think it's pathetic how skittish the government is about funding research about sex," Mr. Bailey said. *777's Note: The government plans to recoup the investment by selling a list of those erotic videos and types of audiovisual erotica women found most sexually arousing for $1,000.00 a copy.
Human Sexuality Laboratory Northwestern University Female Sexual Arousal Study What is the study about? The purpose of this study is to examine what types of audiovisual erotica women find sexually arousing. Who is eligible to participate? Women of all sexual orientations, age 20-40 years, who aren't taking birth control or other medications which may influence sexual arousal, i.e. anti-depressants. What is in involved in participation? There are two components to participating in the study. You will be paid $30 once both are complete: 1) Coming to the laboratory at Northwestern University in Evanston for a sexual arousal assessment. 2) Filling out questionnaires either here in the laboratory or at home, after the sexual arousal assessment. The procedure takes about 1 1/2 hours. What is a "sexual arousal assessment"? You will be asked to watch a series of commercially available film clips, some of which will be sexually explicit, while we monitor your body's sexual arousal. In between the film clips, you will complete a short questionnaire. Measuring sexual arousal is done with an probe called a vaginal photoplethysmograph or Geer gauge. To see a photo of the probe, click here: http://www.psych.nwu.edu/psych/people/faculty/bailey/probe.JPG The probe is about the size of a tampon and is made of acrylic plastic. You would insert this probe into your vagina and it would remain there while you watch the film clips. All this is done in a private testing room where you communicate with the experimenter via intercom. To see a picture of the testing room, click here: http://www.psych.nwu.edu/psych/people/faculty/bailey/chair.JPG or here: http://www.psych.nwu.edu/psych/people/faculty/bailey/monitor.JPG How are participants protected from potential harm? We are acutely aware that this procedure could be perceived as potentially risky and uncomfortable for women. This concern is unnecessary, because the procedure is actually very safe. We have taken many precautions to ensure that women are safe and comfortable during the entire testing procedure. These precautions include: 1) High level disinfection of the probe in accordance with guidelines set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. For further explanation of this disinfection procedure, click here. 2) All participants are guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality. All information provided by participants will be identified through subject numbers, data are stored in locked rooms, and all data will be destroyed at the end of the study. How can I sign up? Contact the lab at (847) 491-3820.
Hey, have the university give me a call. I've been conducting female sexual experiments in my bedroom for the past 10 years.