Age, Gender, and Sexual Motivation Inventory

Abstract

The Age, Gender, and Sexual Motivation Inventory (AGSMI) is a specialized psychological instrument developed by David Quadagno and colleagues to systematically examine the interplay of age and gender differences in relation to sexual activities. Specifically, the AGSMI measures multiple facets of sexual motivation, including the preferred phase of a sexual encounter (i.e., foreplay, intercourse, or afterplay), the ideal benefits sought, and overall sexual satisfaction. Unlike many earlier studies that relied solely on college-aged samples, the AGSMI was designed to be administered to a diverse age group (ranging from 22 to 57 years old in the initial sample) to overcome limitations in generalizing findings about sexual behavior across the wider population. The instrument consists of a comprehensive demographic section followed by 25 questions, requiring approximately 5 to 8 minutes for completion.

Keywords

Sexual motivation, Gender differences, Sexual behavior, Sexual satisfaction, Foreplay, Afterplay, Age differences, Psychological inventory, Sexual attitudes.

Authors

David Quadagno, Janet Sprague (implied co-developer).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Age, Gender, and Sexual Motivation Inventory (AGSMI) is to quantify the complex relationships between demographic factors (age and gender) and psychological factors underlying sexual motivation. The instrument was created to challenge and refine previous research findings, which often suggested that males were driven primarily by physical factors and females by emotional factors, based heavily on limited samples of young, college-aged adults.

By sampling a broader age range, the AGSMI demonstrated that inferences about sexual motivations for the entire population could not be accurately drawn from studies of relatively narrow and inexperienced demographic segments. The scale is designed to facilitate research into specific gender differences in sexual behaviors, satisfaction levels, and motivations, either within a similar age cohort or across varying age groups.

Construct

The AGSMI measures several distinct aspects of human sexuality and relationship dynamics. The core construct is the nature of sexual motivation, differentiating between physical release and emotional bonding as primary drivers for sexual activity.

Secondary constructs include the preference for specific phases of a sexual encounter (foreplay, intercourse, afterplay), the perceived importance of different benefits derived from sex, and self-reported levels of sexual satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the instrument probes relationship dynamics, such as communication regarding sexual disagreements and the initiation of sexual encounters, providing a multifaceted view of an individual’s sexual behavior and attitudes.

Validity

Evidence for the validity of the AGSMI was established through comparison with existing literature, particularly for younger participants. The results obtained from the younger age groups (22–25, 26–30, and 31–35 years) showed strong agreement with previously published studies concerning college-aged individuals regarding sexual motivations. This suggests that the instrument possesses acceptable concurrent validity for these age ranges, aligning with established knowledge that males often report physical motivation and females emotional motivation in this demographic.

However, the researchers noted a limitation concerning the older age groups (36–57 years). Due to a historical lack of comparable studies focusing on sexual motivation and behavior in older individuals, the findings for this segment of the sample could not be cross-validated against existing benchmarks. The use of a diverse age range was itself a method to enhance the generalizability of findings, moving beyond the limitations inherent in restricted sampling.

Reliability

Formal psychometric reliability (such as Cronbach’s Alpha) is not reported, likely because the instrument is designed for item-by-item analysis rather than combined scale scores. However, a preliminary indication of response reliability was established by focusing on items where gender aggregates should theoretically align in a heterosexual population.

Specifically, the researchers compared male and female responses on three quantitative items: average frequency of sexual intercourse per week, usual time spent in foreplay, and usual time spent in afterplay. Since these activities involve partners from the same population, the aggregate means for men and women should be similar. The absence of significant gender differences in responses to these questions suggested that any potential response biases (e.g., tendencies to overstate or understate frequency or time) were not strongly associated with gender, thereby providing a rough indicator of unbiased reporting. Further reliability was supported by finding agreement in responses between two differently phrased questions (Questions 16 and 23) that probed the favored part of a sexual encounter.

Factor Analysis

The Age, Gender, and Sexual Motivation Inventory (AGSMI) is not designed to produce composite or total scores for groups of items. Therefore, standard factor analysis, which aims to reduce item sets into underlying latent factors, is generally not applicable or reported for this instrument. The utility of the AGSMI lies in making direct comparisons between individuals or groups on specific, individual items measuring distinct aspects of sexual behavior and motivation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Questionnaire/Inventory

Format: 25 items total, consisting of 23 multiple-choice questions and 2 short-answer questions. Includes an extensive demographic section.

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Adults (Heterosexual population assumed for reliability testing, but includes sexual orientation demographic item)

Age Group: 22 to 57 years (Developed for use in diverse adult populations, contrasting college-aged samples)

Population Details: Initial sample included 95 women (mean age 31.2 years) and 84 men (mean age 31.7 years).

Test Methodology: Paper-and-pencil administration; responses recorded by circling choices or writing short answers. A separate answer sheet can be used for group administration. Completion time is approximately 5 to 8 minutes.

Keywords

Sexual satisfaction, Sexual initiation, Foreplay time, Afterplay time, Sexual needs, Adult sexuality, Demographic variables, Psychological measurement.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Available in Source Material

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (David Quadagno)

Correspondence Address: David Quadagno, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2043

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Circa 1989 (Based on foundational publication by Sprague & Quadagno).

Permissions and Fee: Information regarding current commercial permissions or standardization fees is not available in the source material. Researchers should contact the corresponding author, David Quadagno, for use permissions.

Reference’s

• Bardwick, J. (1971). The psychology of women. New York: Harper and Row.

• Carroll, J., Volk, K., & Hyde, J. (1985). Differences between males and females in motives for engaging in sexual intercourse. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 14, 131–139.

• Denney, N., Field, J., & Quadagno, D. (1984). Sex differences in sexual needs and desires. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 13, 233–245.

• Sprague, J., & Quadagno, D. (1989). Gender and sexual motivation: An exploration of two assumptions. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 2, 57–76.

Items of the Age, Gender, and Sexual Motivation Inventory

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Age             

2. Sex     ; For women only: Past menopause? Yes      ; No             

3. What is your marital status? (Check one)

              never married

              separated

              married

              divorced

              widowed

4. If married, how long in current marriage?             

5. Age of current spouse             

6. What is your employment status? (Check one)

              full-time homemaker

              employed part-time outside the home

              employed full-time outside the home

              student

7. What is your approximate yearly household income? (Check one)

              below $20,000

              $20,001–30,000

              $30,001–40,000

              $40,001–50,000

              $50,001–60,000

              $60,001–80,000

              over $80,000

8. Sexual orientation (Check one)

              heterosexual;       bisexual;      homosexual

9. How religious do you think you are? (Check one)

              very religious

              moderately religious

              not religious

   For the remainder of the questions please circle the best answer.

10. How many individuals have you had sexual intercourse with?

    1. none

    2. only one

    3. between two and five

    4. between six and ten

    5. between eleven and twenty

    6. over twenty

11. How many times per week do you usually engage in sexual intercourse?

    1. less than once

    2. between one and two

    3. between three and four

    4. between five and seven

    5. more than seven

12. How often do you experience orgasm during your sexual encounters (does not have to be sexual intercourse)?

    1. never

    2. 1–25% of the time

    3. 26–50% of the time

    4. 51–75% of the time

    5. 76–99% of the time

    6. 100% of the time

       Foreplay is a word that has been used to refer to sexual activity that occurs before intercourse. Afterplay refers to interactions such as hugging, holding, talking, etc. that occur after intercourse. Not all sexual encounters involve sexual intercourse, but foreplay and after- play are defined here because many of the following questions will refer to them.

13. During which of the following phases of a sexual encounter are you most likely to experience an orgasm?

    1. foreplay

    2. sexual intercourse

    3. afterplay

    4. equally in foreplay, intercourse, or afterplay

    5. I don’t experience orgasms in my sexual encounters

14. For women only: If you experience orgasm during foreplay do you usually like to then have intercourse?

    1. yes

    2. no

15. When you engage in sexual intercourse or other intimate sexual acts, which of the following reasons best describes your motivation on most occasions?

    1. I want the physical release

    2. I want to show my love for my partner

    3. I am afraid my partner will leave me if I don’t

16. Which aspect of a sexual experience do you enjoy the most?

    1. foreplay

    2. intercourse

    3. afterplay

17. Which of the following is the most important thing that you could get from a sexual experience?

    1. a feeling of being emotionally close to my partner

    2. the physical release and/or orgasm

    3. a feeling that I am in control of my partner

18. Do you usually want to spend more or less time in foreplay than your partner(s)?

    1. I want to spend more time

    2. I want to spend less time

    3. We want to spend about the same amount of time

19. Do you usually want to spend more or less time in afterplay than your partner(s)?

    1. I want to spend more time

    2. I want to spend less time

    3. We want to spend about the same amount of time

20. When you and your partner(s) disagree on the amount of time that should be spent in foreplay, who is more likely to get his/her way?

    1. I am more likely to get my way

    2. My partner is more likely to get his/her way

    3. We are each likely to get our way half of the time

    4. We don’t disagree

21. When you and your partner(s) disagree on the amount of time that should be spent in afterplay, who is more likely to get his/her way?

    1. I am more likely to get my way

    2. My partner is more likely to get his/her way

    3. We are each likely to get our way half of the time

    4. We don’t disagree

22. When you and your partner(s) disagree on the amount of time that should be spent in foreplay or afterplay do you discuss the problem?

    1. We do communicate our disagreements

    2. We do not communicate our disagreements

    3. We do not disagree on this

23. Which of the following rank orders best describes the importance of the various parts of a sexual encounter to you (the first listed part should be the most important and the last the least important to you)?

    1. foreplay, intercourse, afterplay

    2. intercourse, foreplay, afterplay

    3. afterplay, intercourse, foreplay

    4. foreplay, afterplay, intercourse

    5. intercourse, afterplay, foreplay

    6. afterplay, foreplay, intercourse

24. How often do you initiate your sexual encounters?

    1. never

    2. 1–25% of the time

    3. 26–50% of the time

    4. 51–75% of the time

    5. 76–99% of the time

    6. 100% of the time

25. Would you prefer your partner(s) to initiate sexual encounters?

    1. more than she/he does

    2. less than she/he does

    3. the same as she/he does

26. In most cases, do you get more sexually aroused by initiating or being pursued during a sexual encounter?

    1. initiating the encounter

    2. being pursued by my partner

27. What percentage of your sexual encounters would you say you find to be satisfying?

    1. none

       b. 1–25%

       c. 26–50%

       d. 51–75%

       e. 76–99%

       f. 100%

28. How satisfied are you with your typical sexual encounter?

    1. extremely satisfied

    2. moderately satisfied

    3. slightly satisfied

    4. not at all satisfied

29. During which of the three phases (foreplay, intercourse, afterplay) of a sexual encounter are you usually most dissatisfied with how your partner responds?

    1. foreplay

    2. intercourse

    3. afterplay

    4. I am not dissatisfied with any part

30. Have you ever communicated your dissatisfaction to your partner(s)?

    1. yes

    2. no

31. If you are dissatisfied, why are you dissatisfied?                                                            

32. With which of the three phases (foreplay, intercourse, afterplay) are you most satisfied with how your partner responds?

    1. foreplay

    2. intercourse

    3. afterplay

    4. I am not satisfied with any part

33. If you are satisfied, what do you find particularly satisfying?                                           

34. Do you sometimes have sex to please your partner even though you don’t want to have sex?

    1. yes

    2. no