The labial thermistor clip is a device used measure the skin

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...

of the

labia minora The labia minora (Latin for 'smaller lips', : labium minus), also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin that are part of the primate vulva, extending outwards from the inner Vagina#Vaginal opening and hymen, vagi ...

and is associated blood engorgement. This device consists of a

thermistor A thermistor is a semiconductor type of resistor in which the resistance is strongly dependent on temperature. The word ''thermistor'' is a portmanteau of ''thermal'' and ''resistor''. The varying resistance with temperature allows these devices ...

affixed to a small metal clip that can be attached to the labia minora. The labial thermistor clip is the second most commonly used physiological measure of female genital response, next to the vaginal photoplethysmograph (VPG). Chivers, M. L., Seto, M. C., Lalumière, M. L., Laan, E., & Grimbos, T. ��Agreement of self-reported and genital measures of sexual arousal in men and women: A meta-analysis” “Archives of Sexual Behavior, 6, 1678-1687”, 2010 Both devices can be used simultaneously.Prause, N. & Heiman, J. R. ��Assessing female sexual arousal with the labial thermistor: Response specificity and construct validity” “International Journal of Psychophysiology,72, 115 – 122”, 2009 The labial thermistor clip has some advantages over VPG, including better

test-retest reliability Repeatability or test–retest reliability is the closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same measure, when carried out under the same conditions of measurement. In other words, the measurements are taken ...

, greater correlation between genital and self-reported

sexual arousal Sexual arousal (also known as sexual excitement) describes the Physiology, physiological and psychological responses in preparation for sexual intercourse or when exposed to Sexual stimulation, sexual stimuli. A number of physiological response ...

, and an absolute unit of change (temperature). Payne, K. & Binik, Y. M. ��Reviving the labial thermistor clip” “Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 111-113”, 2006 Like VPG, the labial thermistor clip has

discriminant validity In psychology, discriminant validity tests whether concepts or measurements that are not supposed to be related are actually unrelated. Campbell and Fiske (1959) introduced the concept of discriminant validity within their discussion on evaluating ...

; that is, it detects differences between sexual and nonsexual stimuli. It is also sensitive to different levels of sexual arousal. The labial thermistor clip has some disadvantages because participants have difficulty with placing the device correctly and some report discomfort with using the device.

References

{{Reflist Female genital procedures Medical testing equipment Sexology Women's health

See also

References