The effect of static versus dynamic stimuli on visual processing of sexual cues in androphilic women and gynephilic men

Models of sexual response posit that attentional processing of sexual cues is requisite for sexual responding. Despite hypothesized similarities in the underlying processes resulting in sexual response, gender differences in sexual arousal patterns are abundant. One such gender difference relates to the stimulus features (e.g., gender cues, sexual activity cues) that elicit a response in men and women. In the current study, we examined how stimulus modality (static visual images versus dynamic audiovisual films) and stimulus features (gender, sexual activity, and nonsexual contextual cues) influences attentional (i.e., gaze) and elaborative (i.e., self-reported attraction, self-reported arousal) processing of sexual stimuli. Men's initial and controlled attention was consistently gender-specific (i.e., greater attention towards female targets), and this was not influenced by stimulus modality or the presence of sexual activity cues. In contrast, gender-specificity of women's attention p...