Thermographic measurement of sexual arousal: a methodological note

A thermographic measure of sexual arousal in terms of the four stages of sexual stimulation (excitement phase, plateau phase, orgasm phase, and resolution phase) articulated by Masters and Johnson (1966) is described. A male and female masturbated to orgasm; the results are presented in terms of interpretations of both the thermographic image and the quantitative temperature profile. Possible future research applications are suggested, including sexual dysfunctions, sexual arousal, and gender differences.