Tag: Elliot Berkman

Cognitive Motivations for Women Faking Orgasm in Heterosexual and Queer Identities

Presenter: Alyssa Bui − Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Elliot Berkman

(In-Person) Oral Panel—Sex, Drugs, & Music

Research on the psychosocial phenomenon of women faking orgasms has only focused on a heterosexual population. Our study sought to include responses from both queer and heterosexual women to understand if motivations to fake orgasm and partnered orgasm frequency differ by sexual orientation. Undergraduate participants (N=103) were given possible motivations to fake orgasm and rated them on a scale from 1(Never) to 5(Always) in relation to their personal motivations to fake orgasm. The percentage of time participants faked orgasm and reached orgasm during partnered sex was also collected. A chi-square analysis was used to assess the relationship between sexual orientation and cognitive motivations to fake orgasm. There was a significant relationship between the motivation “Because your partner expects you to have an orgasm during sexual interactions?” and sexual orientation X2(4,103)= 11 .80, p= 0 .019. Descriptive statistics were used to examine counts of the highest motivations to fake orgasm and the average of reached and faked orgasms. Analyses revealed that the highest motivation for women to fake orgasm was “To make your partner happy”, with 70% of women reporting (Almost Always) or (Always). Additionally, heterosexual women were almost 10% more likely to fake orgasm (M=46 .75) than their queer counterparts (M=37 .96) . Results of this study add to the understanding of women’s sexuality, but further research is needed on faking orgasms and the potential for group differences.

Feeding The Identity

Presenter(s): Alvaro Macias-Gonzalez

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Elliot Berkman

Poster 87

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

From the moment we are born, we have little input on what foods we eat. From breast milk (or formula) to cereal, individuals are given limited choices when it comes to what foods they consume. Fast forward to adolescent years, we are still at the mercy of a parent or guardians decision of what to feed us but have a bit more freedom for food selection. Then what happens when individuals move away from a primary caregiver and choose to live on their own and have to find various forms of nutrition? The purpose of this study is to understand how college-bound freshman diet influences their narrative identities versus college Juniors, who have greater amounts of freedom in regards to foods consumed. Does an individual who consumes food prepared by someone else believe that this food can help explain their narrative identity? Or can an individuals diet help dictate if they believe themselves to be what we would call “winner”? My research looks at the differences between College freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors dietary intake. Research has shown the dreaded “freshman fifteen” is a phenomenon across college campuses but what effects does this additional weight have on the students’ psyche?