Renowned Sex Researcher Virginia Johnson Dies at 88

[The Straight Story]

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Former Washington University sexologist and psychologist Virginia Johnson has died at the age of 88.

Born in Springfield, Mo., Johnson attended Drury University at the age of 16 and later studied at the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and Washington University.

While at Washington University, Johnson met research partner and future husband William Masters. The two developed the first tools for measuring sexual arousal in humans.

Using the tools they had developed, Johnson and Masters conducted a landmark study of 382 women and 312 men in the mid-1960?s. The study found that orgasms were felt similarly by both sexes and identified four stages of sexual response: the excitement phase, plateau phase, orgasmic phase, and resolution phase. The stages became known as the human sexual response cycle.

Soon after, the couple spent 14 years studying 300 homosexual men and women, claiming to have successfully “converted” many of them to heterosexuality. The findings were published in their book “Homosexuality in Perspective” which has been criticized since its publication. Masters defended the study but some reports indicate Johnson was skeptical.


http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/07/25/renowned-sex-researcher-virginia-johnson-dies-at-88/