In the Eyes of the Beholder: The Application of Eye-tracking Methodology to Sexuality Research

The fact that sexual experiences are private and socio-culturally laden has presented significant methodological challenges to those interested in understanding their characteristics. In an effort to encourage sex researchers to expand upon our base of methodology, several prominent investigators have challenged use to explore familiar terrain using unfamiliar techniques. Relatively recent scientific developments (e.g. PET, fMRI) are allowing us to explore arguably the most important sexual organ, the human brain, as never before. In the last decade, Geer and others have applied techniques developed in cognitive psychology, including memory tasks, priming studies, and network organization modeling, to sex research. The information processing approach (IPA), which examines both molar (i.e., schematic-type) and molecular (i.e., attentional) processes, has guided much of the research on the role of cognition in sexuality to date. A currently under-explored area remains the role of visual attention in sexual situations. To this end, we tested the utility and validity of eye-tracking as applied to sexuality research. Eye-tracking is an unobtrusive, continuous measure of visual attention and cognitive processing. The eye-tracker records eye movements as the participant is presented with different visual stimuli, thus providing detailed information about how the visual environment is acquired, represented, and stored. We believe eye-tracking methodology has the potential to inform us in an objective way about what individuals attend to when exposed to visually erotic situations, and, maybe even, how they do so.