Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1980

Thesis Director

William G. Kirk

Abstract

Past research has suggested that cognitive imagery may serve to either enhance or diminish a subsequent overt behavior. In fact, imagery techniques are commonly used in therapy with the idea that these techniques affect behavior in a predictable way.

The present study was designed to determine whether measured frequencies of sexual daydreaming would correlate with measured frequencies of sexual activity. Gender groups were also compared to examine possible gender differences in the frequency of sexual daydreaming and sexual activity.

Thirty-eight male and 113 female students at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois were asked to respond to two self-report questionnaires. The sexual daydreaming variable was measured by the Imaginal Process Inventory and the sexual activity variable was measured by the Inventory of Heterosexual Experience. Subjects were also requested to complete several questions which were designed to provide some demographic data.

The results did not support the hypothesis which proposed that there will be a significant relationship between the variables sexual daydreaming and sexual activity for both gender groups as measured by the Imaginal Process Inventory and the Inventory of Heterosexual Experience. The findings also did not support a secondary hypothesis that there will be a significant gender difference in the frequency of sexual daydreaming as measured by the Imaginal Process Inventory. The results did support a secondary hypothesis that there will be a significant gender difference in the frequency of sexual activity as measured by the Inventory of Heterosexual Experience. It was found that the male subjects reported a greater frequency of heterosexual activity, masturbation, and sexual activity with a greater number of partners than did the female subjects. Explanations were offered for the results.

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