The effects of exposure to different sources of information on sexual behavior: Comparing a "Sex-Expert" system to other educational material

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1993

Publication Title

Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computers

Volume

25

Issue

2

First page number:

189

Last page number:

194

Abstract

Sexpert, an expert computer program designed to counsel couples on their sexual relationships, was evaluated. Eighty-one heterosexual couples were assigned to one of three experimental manipulations (Sexpert, video, and self-help book) or a control condition. Daily sexual behavior monitoring forms and structured retrospective reports served as measures of baseline and post-manipulation behavior. Daily monitoring of sexual behavior failed to show significant changes occurring after the manipulations. However, retrospective data concerning the postmanipulation period show that compared with the control, the Sexpert, video, and book manipulations had a significant positive impact on couples’ sexual behavior, communication, and learning about sexuality. Sexpert, video, and book were similarly evaluated, except that Sexpert was evaluated as more engaging. In addition, subjects retrospectively reported positive changes in communication, relationship satisfaction, and sexual behavior during the baseline period. This suggests that daily behavioral monitoring is intrusive and may confound the variables measured by it.

Keywords

Behavioral assessment; Mental health counseling; Psychology; Applied; Virtual reality therapy

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Counseling Psychology | Health Psychology | Medicine and Health | Psychiatry and Psychology | Psychology

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited

Publisher Citation

Ochs, E. P., Meana, M., Mah, K., & Binik, Y. M. (1993). The effects of exposure to different sources of sexual information on sexual behavior: Comparing a “sex-expert system” to other educational material. Behavior Research Methods, 25(2), 189-194.

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