Studying Gay and Straight Males' Implicit Gender Attitudes to Understand Previously Found Gender Differences in Implicit In-Group Bias

Studying Gay and Straight Males' Implicit Gender Attitudes to Understand Previously Found Gender Differences in Implicit In-Group Bias. Yvonne Emig, Oyvind Jorgensen. Current Research in Social Psychology 25, 8, 1. http://www.uiowa.edu/crisp

Abstract: Previous research shows that men overall, in contrast to women, do not show a typical implicit in-group preference. One proposed explanation is greater interest in sex among males. If so, then gay males should show an implicit preference for males whereas straight males should prefer females. We tested this hypothesis using a modified version of the Brief Implicit Association Test on 38 gay and 65 straight males. The hypothesis was supported. As the majority of participants in previous studies on implicit gender attitudes are expected to be straight, this could contribute to the low implicit in-group bias among males.

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Several explanations have been proposed in the literature for the lack of implicit in-group bias among men. One possible explanation for men's intergroup attitudes is maternal bonding, which takes into account that children usually spend more time with the mother and therefore tend to favor their mother over the father (Rudman & Goodwin, 2004). This may be important because many implicit attitudes may be formed through early experiences in the childhood (Rudman, 2004; Skowronski & Lawrence, 2001). Accordingly, Dunham et al. (2015) found that men's gender attitudes change over their lifespan; while 5-year old boys still prefer their own gender, adult men tend to show stronger positive implicit attitudes toward women (Dunham et al., 2015). Perceived threat and stronger association of men with violence are other possible factors, which could explain men's implicit gender associations (Dunham et al., 2015; Rudman & Goodwin, 2004). As men are usually strongly associated with physical threat (such as violence and aggression), men may prefer the less-threatening gender women (Rudman & Goodwin, 2004).

One factor explaining the differences in implicit gender attitudes among men and women could be sexuality. There are gender differences in regard to which stimuli (female or male) cause sexual arousal. While heterosexual women in general tend to be aroused by pictures of men and women, heterosexual men are usually solely aroused by pictures of women (Chivers, Seto, & Blanchard, 2007). Other general differences between men and women seem to be on which behavior they are focused on (e.g. on copulation or a larger scope of activities) and which type of sexual activity arouses them most (Fisher, Aron, Mashek, & Brown, 2002). Sex drive, defined as the strength of motivation for sex, is found to be either more constant (Fisher et al., 2002) or generally stronger (Baumeister, 2000; Baumeister, Catanese, & Vohs, 2001; Peplau, 2003) in men than in women, which could explain why (heterosexual) men do not favor men on implicit associations and why (heterosexual) women do not show pro-male bias. Liking sex was, in Rudman and Goodwin's (2004) study, a predictor of in-group bias among sexually experienced men. However, the sexual explanations (such as liking sex or number of sexual encounters) would not explain a man's lack of in-group bias if this man were gay. So, in the present study, we test whether sexual orientation (gay or straight) is related to implicit gender attitudes among men. In accordance with a sex drive explanation, we expect straight males to show a stronger implicit preference for females than males compared to gay men.

Initial failure made people underestimate how good it would feel to succeed in the future (systematic tendency to downplay the value of inaccessible rewards &outcomes). The predictions of low happiness appear to be a defensive maneuver to prevent disappointment. People high in achievement motivation constituted the main exception.

Sjastad, Hallgeir, Roy Baumeister, and Michael Ent. 2018. “Greener Grass or Sour Grapes? How People Value Future Goals After Initial Failure”. PsyArXiv. January 20. psyarxiv.com/er7q9

Abstract: If initial failure makes future success seem out of reach, do people think that such success would bring them more or less happiness than if initial performance had gone well? Across five experiments (N=690), participants were randomly assigned to receive good or poor feedback on a practice trial of a cognitive test (Studies 1-4) and their academic performance (Study 5). Those who received poor feedback predicted that they would feel less happy about a future top performance than those who received good feedback. However, when all participants received a top score on the actual test they became equally happy, regardless of initial feedback. That is, initial failure made people underestimate how good it would feel to succeed in the future. Inspired by Aesop’s fable of the fox and the grapes, we term this phenomenon the “sour-grape effect”: A systematic tendency to downplay the value of inaccessible rewards and outcomes. A pilot study revealed that people did not anticipate this result even when predicting how others would feel. The predictions of low happiness appear to be a defensive maneuver to prevent disappointment, as indicated by other ratings of whether the trait was relevant to self-concept and one’s future life outcomes. People high in achievement motivation constituted the main exception, as they remained engaged with the task and predicted (correctly) that success would bring them joy. A pre-registered experiment replicated all effects and confirmed mediation and moderation. Findings are interpreted in connection with cognitive dissonance, self-concept defense, adaptive preferences, and affective forecasting.

Initial failure made people underestimate how good it would feel to succeed in the future (systematic tendency to downplay the value of inaccessible rewards &outcomes). The predictions of low happiness appear to be a defensive maneuver to prevent disappointment. People high in achievement motivation constituted the main exception.

Lack of Increase in Sexual Drive and Function After Dopaminergic Stimulation in Women – contrary to what happens with men

Lack of Increase in Sexual Drive and Function After Dopaminergic Stimulation in Women. Tillmann H. C. Krüger et al. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, Volume 44, 2018 - Issue 1, Pages 61-72 | https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2017.1318797

ABSTRACT: Human and animal data indicate that the dopaminergic system plays a crucial role in sexual drive and function. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, this prototype study investigated the effect of the D2 dopamine agonist cabergoline on sexual parameters in 13 healthy women. Cardiovascular and genital parameters were monitored continuously. Sexual drive and function were measured using self-report sexual experience scales. In contrast to previous theories and assumptions, we found that cabergoline did not alter objective and subjective sexual parameters in healthy women. This finding suggests that there may be sex differences in the influence of the dopaminergic system on human sexual functioning.

Author claims that twelve-month-olds understand that foreign languages can communicate

Voulez-vous jouer avec moi? Twelve-month-olds understand that foreign languages can communicate. Athena Vouloumanos. Cognition, Volume 173, April 2018, Pages 87–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.01.002

Abstract: Infants understand that speech in their native language allows speakers to communicate. Is this understanding limited to their native language or does it extend to non-native languages with which infants have no experience? Twelve-month-old infants saw an actor, the Communicator, repeatedly select one of two objects. When the Communicator could no longer reach the target but a Recipient could, the Communicator vocalized a nonsense phrase either in English (infants’ native language), Spanish (rhythmically different), or Russian (phonotactically different), or hummed (a non-speech vocalization). Across all three languages, native and non-native, but not humming, infants looked longer when the Recipient gave the Communicator the non-target object. Although, by 12 months, infants do not readily map non-native words to objects or discriminate most non-native speech contrasts, they understand that non-native languages can transfer information to others. Understanding language as a tool for communication extends beyond infants’ native language: By 12 months, infants view language as a universal mechanism for transferring and acquiring new information.

Keywords: Language acquisition; Non-native language; Infant cognitive development; Communication; Speech perception

Intellectual humility and openness to the opposing view

Intellectual humility and openness to the opposing view. Tenelle Porter & Karina Schumann. Self and Identity, Volume 17, 2018 - Issue 2, https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2017.1361861

Abstract: Strong disagreements have stymied today’s political discourse. We investigate intellectual humility – recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge and appreciating others’ intellectual strengths – as one factor that can make disagreements more constructive. In Studies 1 and 2, participants with higher intellectual humility were more open to learning about the opposition’s views during imagined disagreements. In Study 3, those with higher intellectual humility exposed themselves to a greater proportion of opposing political perspectives. In Study 4, making salient a growth mindset of intelligence boosted intellectual humility, and, in turn, openness to opposing views. Results suggest that intellectual humility is associated with openness during disagreement, and that a growth mindset of intelligence may increase intellectual humility. Implications for current political polarization are discussed.

Keywords: Humility, open-mindedness, growth mindset, politics, disagreement

Rare delusional ideation of zoanthropy

Seltener Wahninhalt Zooanthropie / Rare delusional ideation of zoanthropy. Kräenbring, J., Zellner, N. & Warninghoff, J. Der Nervenarzt (2018) 89: 92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-017-0285-3

[Automatic translation]

In 2010, a 45-year-old geriatric nurse was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for the first time with a severe depressive episode without psychotic symptoms and treated with venlafaxine and amitriptyline. Full remission and part-time work continued for 5 years. By the end of 2015, the patient had discontinued the above-mentioned medication, as she suspected it was a cause of new diarrhea and nausea. In 2016, she was re-hospitalized due to 6 weeks of mood swings with lack of drive and 3 days of confusion.

Findings, therapy and course

Psychopathologically, in this second inpatient psychiatric recording a substantive dementia, paracineses and a rife train of thought. Determined to be a tadpole, the patient made meandering movements with her body, which we interpreted as an expression of this conviction.

Diagnostically, the criteria of an acute schizophreniform disorder were met. The conviction that we are a tadpole was a bizarre delusion, which is a clear symptom of schizophrenia according to ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10). The symptom constellation had occurred only a few hours before the inpatient admission, so that the time criterion of schizophrenia was not met. Physical and apparative investigations gave no indication of an organic genesis. A drug addiction test yielded only negative findings.

Treatment is with 4 mg of risperidone per day. After about a week, the patient stated that she was no longer a tadpole but was still convinced that she had been born a tadpole. Paracines were no longer observable. After about 3 weeks of treatment no delusions was explored more.

Exploring the Relationship Between Narcissism and Extreme Altruism

Exploring the Relationship Between Narcissism and Extreme Altruism. Daniel White, Marianna Szabo and Niko Tiliopoulos. The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 131, No. 1 (Spring 2018), pp. 65-80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/amerjpsyc.131.1.0065

Abstract: Extreme altruism is defined as prosocial behavior that violates social norms or the law. Little research has been done on this phenomenon, although research into related areas suggests that, surprisingly, extreme altruistic activities may be associated with traits traditionally associated with narcissism. This relationship was explored by comparing members of the public, people involved in prosocial activities within socially and legally accepted realms, and members of the Real-Life Superhero (RLSH) movement. The RLSH movement is a subculture whose prosocial-directed activities often exceed social norms and legal constraints. These include patrolling and conducting community and citizen police work in superhero-inspired uniforms, which has on several occasions resulted in altercations with other civilians or with law enforcement. The results suggest that there is a relationship between certain traits within the narcissism spectrum and the proclivity to engage in extreme altruism. These traits include grandiose fantasy, self-sacrificing self-enhancement, and devaluing. Furthermore, these traits are expressed at significantly higher levels in people who engage in extreme altruism more often. Finally, a model based predominantly on narcissism indicated a strong ability to predict group membership among the three groups. The findings suggest that a reconceptualization that reflects the capacity of these traits to be expressed in a prosocial or antisocial behavior is needed to explain this relationship.

Preferences for moral vs. immoral traits (mercifulness vs. mercilessness, honesty vs. dishonesty, sexual fidelity vs. infidelity, and altruism vs. selfishness) in others are conditional

Preferences for moral vs. immoral traits in others are conditional. David E. Melnikoff and April H. Bailey. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi 10.1073/pnas.1714945115

Significance: It is commonly argued that humans have a dominant preference for morality traits vs. immorality traits in others—that is, irrespective of the surrounding context, morality fosters liking, and immorality fosters disliking. The results of four experiments oppose this view by showing that situational goals can eliminate and even reverse the preference for morality vs. immorality in others. These findings suggest that our preference for morality vs. immorality is conditional on the demands of our current goals and cannot be attributed solely to innate, “hardwired” links or personal learning experiences. They also suggest that immoral people sometimes win public adoration, and the power that comes with it, not in spite of but precisely because of their immorality.

Abstract: The preference for morality in others is regarded as a dominant factor in person perception. Moral traits are thought to foster liking, and immoral traits are thought to foster disliking, irrespective of the context in which they are embedded. We report the results of four studies that oppose this view. Using both explicit and implicit measures, we found that the preference for morality vs. immorality in others is conditional on the evaluator’s current goals. Specifically, when immorality was conducive to participants’ current goals, the preference for moral vs. immoral traits in others was eliminated or reversed. The preferences for mercifulness vs. mercilessness (experiment 1), honesty vs. dishonesty (experiment 2), sexual fidelity vs. infidelity (experiment 3), and altruism vs. selfishness (experiment 4) were all found to be conditional. These findings oppose the consensus view that people have a dominant preference for moral vs. immoral traits in others. Our findings also speak to nativist and empiricist theories of social preferences and the stability of the “social contract” underlying productive human societies.

Resting autonomic nervous system activity is unrelated to antisocial behaviour dimensions in adolescents: Cross-sectional findings from a European multi-centre study

Resting autonomic nervous system activity is unrelated to antisocial behaviour dimensions in adolescents: Cross-sectional findings from a European multi-centre study. Martin Prätzlich et al. Journal of Criminal Justice, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2018.01.004

Highlights
•    Respiration rate and antisocial behaviour were positively associated in females.
•    Covariates rendered links between the ANS and antisocial behaviour non-significant.
•    For both sexes, a low and a high arousal cluster arose.
•    Smoking was strongly related to antisocial behaviour and comorbid psychopathology.

Abstract

Purpose: Autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning has long been studied in relation to antisocial behaviour, but relevant measures (heart rate, heart rate variability, pre-ejection period, respiration rate) have rarely been considered together. This study investigated the relationship between these measures and antisocial behaviour.

Methods: Using a sample of 1010 youths with (47.8%) and without conduct disorder (52.2%) aged between 9 and 18 years (659 females, 351 males, mean age = 14.2 years, SD = 2.4), principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to various measures of psychopathology and antisocial behavior. Structural equation modelling was performed in order to test whether the ANS measures predicted PCA-dimensions. Cluster analysis was used in order to classify patterns of ANS activity. Analyses were performed separately for males/females and controlled for body-mass-index, age, caffeine use, cigarette smoking, sports, socioeconomic status, medication, cardiac problems.

Results: The PCA yielded three components: antisocial behaviour/comorbid psychopathology, narcissistic traits, and callous-unemotional traits. ANS measures were only weakly correlated with these components. Cluster analysis yielded high and low arousal clusters in both sexes. When controlling for covariates, all associations disappeared.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that resting ANS measures are only weakly related to antisocial behaviour and indicate that smoking should be considered as an important covariate in future psychophysiological studies.

Keywords: Autonomic nervous system; Antisocial behaviour; Callous-unemotional traits; Smoking; Cluster analysis; Sex

An exploratory study of what people with intellectual disabilities find attractive about romantic partners and how they perceive themselves as romantic partners

Donnachie, Madeline (2017). An exploratory study of what people with intellectual disabilities find attractive about romantic partners and how they perceive themselves as romantic partners. D Clin Psy thesis, University of Glasgow. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8422/

Abstract

Background: Whilst romantic or sexual attraction is a major research topic in the general population, little is known about people with intellectual disabilities’ views of attractiveness. Research exploring desirable romantic partner traits has indicated that people with intellectual disabilities appeared to hold less conventional views of physical attraction. This research explored what people with intellectual disabilities found attractive in others, as well as whether they thought other people found them desirable.

Method: Twenty-nine adults with intellectual disabilities and twenty-nine adults without intellectual disabilities, all aged between 16 and 40 years old, were recruited from Further Education institutions and voluntary community organisations across Central and West Scotland. Depending on their sexual orientation, participants were shown 50 images of men or women’s faces and asked to rate how attractive they thought the faces were. A semi-structured interview explored participants’ reasons for their highest and lowest ratings, their views of themselves as desirable to others and what they thought were important qualities in a romantic partner.

Results: A strong association was found between what men and women with intellectual disabilities and those without intellectual disabilities considered attractive in romantic partners. With regards to self-perceived desirability as a romantic partner people with intellectual disabilities were more likely to consider themselves desirable or attractive to others compared to their non-disabled peers.

Conclusions: Consideration should be given to how people with intellectual disabilities’ self-perceptions may influence their dating preferences and relationship development. Speaking to people with intellectual disabilities openly about attraction and desirability could provide an opportunity to explore who they view as possible partners and to find ways to help individuals develop relationships. Limitations of the study and ideas for future research are discussed.

The Preference for Pointing With the Hand Is Not Universal

Cooperrider, Kensy, Slotta, James and Nunez, Rafael (2018), The Preference for Pointing With the Hand Is Not Universal. Cognitive Science. doi:10.1111/cogs.12585

Abstract: Pointing is a cornerstone of human communication, but does it take the same form in all cultures? Manual pointing with the index finger appears to be used universally, and it is often assumed to be universally preferred over other forms. Non-manual pointing with the head and face has also been widely attested, but it is usually considered of marginal significance, both empirically and theoretically. Here, we challenge this assumed marginality. Using a novel communication task, we investigated pointing preferences in the Yupno of Papua New Guinea and in U.S. undergraduates. Speakers in both groups pointed at similar rates, but form preferences differed starkly: The Yupno participants used non-manual pointing (nose- and head-pointing) numerically more often than manual pointing, whereas the U.S. participants stuck unwaveringly to index-finger pointing. The findings raise questions about why groups differ in their pointing preferences and, more broadly, about why humans communicate in the ways they do.

Genetics, the Rearing Environment, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce: A Swedish National Adoption Study

Genetics, the Rearing Environment, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce: A Swedish National Adoption Study. Jessica E. Salvatore et al. Psychological Science, https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617734864

Abstract: We used classical and extended adoption designs in Swedish registries to disentangle genetic and rearing-environment influences on the intergenerational transmission of divorce. In classical adoption analyses, adoptees (n = 19,715) resembled their biological parents, rather than their adoptive parents, in their history of divorce. In extended adoption analyses, offspring (n = 82,698) resembled their not-lived-with fathers and their lived-with mothers. There was stronger resemblance to lived-with mothers, providing indirect evidence of rearing-environment influences on the intergenerational transmission of divorce. The heritability of divorce assessed across generations was 0.13. We attempted to replicate our findings using within-generation data from adoptive and biological siblings (ns = 8,523–53,097). Adoptees resembled their biological, not adoptive, siblings in their history of divorce. Thus, there was consistent evidence that genetic factors contributed to the intergenerational transmission of divorce but weaker evidence for a rearing-environment effect of divorce. Within-generation data from siblings supported these conclusions.

Keywords: divorce, intergenerational transmission, adoption study, extended adoption study, sibling study

Government-Sponsored Mass Killing and Civil War Reoccurrence

Gary Uzonyi, Richard Hanania; Government-Sponsored Mass Killing and Civil War Reoccurrence, International Studies Quarterly, Volume 61, Issue 3, September 1 2017, Pages 677–689, https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqx050

Abstract: Why do civil wars reoccur? Some scholars emphasize the role of post-war factors, while others locate the causes of civil war recurrence in the dynamics of the conflicts themselves. We build a theory that bridges these arguments by focusing on mass killing. We argue that government mass killing during war reduces opportunities for the opposition to return to military conflict in the future. This allows for longer periods of post-conflict peace. However, government atrocities that begin after the end of a civil war create new grievances without diminishing the ability of opponents to fight. This makes a faster return to conflict more likely. Statistical analysis of all civil wars between 1946 and 2006 strongly supports our arguments, even when we account for selection effects regarding when governments are more likely to engage in mass killing. These results reveal that both during-war and post-war tactics influence civil war recurrence, but that the same tactic can produce different effects depending on the timing of its use.