Phallometric assessment of sexual arousal

Merdian, Hannah Lena and Jones, David T. (2011) Phallometric assessment of sexual arousal. In: International perspectives on the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders: theory, practice and research. Wiley, pp. 141-169. ISBN 9780470749258

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Abstract

The penile plethysmograph is a device which measures male sexual arousal by means of a transducer around the subjects’ penis while various stimuli are
presented. Although this seems to be a simple enough premise, half a century of research has failed to demonstrate that the assessment is either reliable or valid.
It does, however, seem to be a significant predictor of risk. This chapter reviews the literature around the reliability and validity of phallometric assessment, the limitations to its use, its contribution to risk
assessment, and alternatives to its use, and concludes with remarks on the future of the phallometry.

Additional Information:The penile plethysmograph is a device which measures male sexual arousal by means of a transducer around the subjects’ penis while various stimuli are presented. Although this seems to be a simple enough premise, half a century of research has failed to demonstrate that the assessment is either reliable or valid. It does, however, seem to be a significant predictor of risk. This chapter reviews the literature around the reliability and validity of phallometric assessment, the limitations to its use, its contribution to risk assessment, and alternatives to its use, and concludes with remarks on the future of the phallometry.
Keywords:Phallometric assessment, Sexual arousal
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C800 Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C890 Psychology not elsewhere classified
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
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ID Code:4839
Deposited On:14 Jan 2012 16:01

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