Psychology2016

Sexuality and Gender 405

breathing all reduce to normal levels during this phase. In women, the clitoris retracts,
the color of the vaginal lips returns to normal, and the lips close once more. In men,
the erection is lost, the testes descend, and the scrotal sac thins again. Also, men have a
refractory period during which they cannot achieve another orgasm, lasting anywhere
from several minutes to several hours for different individuals. The older the man
gets, the longer the refractory period tends to extend. Women do not have a refractory
period and in fact may achieve another series of orgasms if stimulation continues.
Read the Classic Studies in Psychology section that follows for a more detailed look
at the historic Masters and Johnson study and to learn how this landmark research was
accomplished. (See also Figures 10.3 and 10.4.)

refractory period

time period in males just after orgasm

in which the male cannot Decome

aroused to another orgasm.

Orgasm

Plateau

Excitement

Refractory period

(minutes to day or more)

Resolution

Resolution

Figure 10.3 The Male Sexual-Response Cycle
A male experiences sexual arousal (excitement), a plateau lasting a few
seconds to a few minutes, orgasm, and then experiences a refractory
period during which another orgasm is not yet possible. This refractory
period can last for several minutes to several hours to a day or more and
tends to increase in length with age. After the refractory period, a second
orgasm is possible. Resolution, in which the body returns to its prearousal
state, is last.

Classic Studies in Psychology

Masters and Johnson’s Observational

Study of the Human Sexual Response

William Masters and Virginia Johnson pioneered the first direct observational study

of human sexual behavior. Their study stirred up tremendous controversy in an

era that feared that the study of human sexuality would undermine the structure

of the family and society. Masters obtained permission from his department chair

at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1954.

He then assembled an advisory board composed of the police commissioner, a

newspaper publisher, and several prominent religious leaders, in addition to the

university’s chancellor. Together, they accomplished a feat that seems incredible

in today’s media-driven world: They convinced the press to keep completely quiet

about this research into human sexuality for the next 12 years (Kolodny, 2001).

Such research had to be conducted discreetly, as even Masters’s choice

of subjects was controversial. His initial studies in 1955 and 1956 were done

Figure 10.4 The Female Sexual-Response Cycle

Women can experience several different patterns of sexual response. In Pat-

tern A, a woman experiences excitement, a plateau, and orgasm in a manner

similar to a man. Unlike a man, the woman does not have a refractory period

and can experience several orgasms before entering resolution. In Pattern B,

there is a longer plateau period but no orgasm, and in Pattern C, the woman

goes from excitement to orgasm to a quick resolution without experiencing a

plateau period.

Orgasm

Plateau

Excitement

ABC C A A

B

Resolutio

n

Resolution Resolution

Interactive

Dr. William Masters and Dr. Virginia Johnson examined

human sexuality by measuring physiological responses

in a laboratory. Their subjects were volunteers, many of

whom were prostitutes, a fact that caused an uproar when

their research became public.