The role of motion in learning new faces

Four experiments are reported that investigate the usefulness of rigid (head nodding, shaking) and nonrigid (talking, expressions) motion for establishing new face representations of previously unfamiliar faces. Results show that viewing a face in motion leads to more accurate face learning, compared with viewing a single static image (Experiment 1). The advantage for viewing the face moving rigidly seems to be due to the different angles of view contained in these sequences (Experiment 2). However, the advantage for nonrigid motion is not simply due to multiple images (Experiment 3) and is not specifically linked to forwards motion but extends to reversed sequences (Experiment 4). Thus, although we have demonstrated beneficial effects of motion for face learning, they do not seem to be due to the specific dynamic properties of the sequences shown. Instead, the advantage for nonrigid motion may reflect increased attention to faces moving in a socially important manner.     

Attitudes toward the male role and their correlates

This study investigated relationships between college men's attitudes toward the male role and five theoretical concomitants of the role. It was expected that males endorsing traditional male-role norms would be more homophobic, more strongly support the Type A behavior orientation, support less self-disclosure to male and female friends, and approve of the maintenance of asymmetrical decision-making power with their intimate partner. Men from two liberal arts college in a New England metropolitan area (N=223) provided the data to test the hypotheses. Endorsement of the traditional role was associated with all predicted concomitants, expect the measure of disclosure to male friend. The results are discussed in terms of the pervasive nature of the antifemininity norm within the male role.An earlier version of this article was presented as a paper at the meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, 1984.     

The relative importance of gender role attitudes to male and female attitudes toward lesbians

Previous studies suggest that gender role attitudes, parental attitudes, authoritarianism, religiosity, contact with homosexuals, and exposure to educational influences are associated with attitudes toward homosexuals. Few studies have been conducted on attitudes toward lesbians specifically. This study investigated the pattern of predictors for male and female attitudes toward lesbians. The regression analysis on males revealed that gender role attitudes were the only significant predictor, while gender role attitudes, parental attitudes, authoritarianism, and educational and media influences made a contribution to female attitudes toward lesbians. Despite more liberal gender role attitudes expressed by female respondents, there was no difference between male and female attitudes toward lesbians. This finding and the additional contribution to female attitudes toward lesbians made by the other predictors besides gender role attitudes suggests that the female respondents' development of attitudes toward lesbians is a product of a wider array of variables, with gender role attitudes playing a more central role in the development of male attitudes toward lesbians. Nevertheless, the importance of gender role attitudes to both male and female attitudes toward lesbians suggests that stratification by sex might be an underlying variable for both gender role attitudes and attitudes toward lesbians.The author wishes to thank Esther Sales, Gary Koeske, Barbara Shore, and Randi Koeske for their guidance with the research study. Much thanks also to Katherine M. Bezak for assistance with editing this and earlier drafts of this article.     

The relationship between gender role orientation and perceived self-competency in male and female adolescents

Sex Roles - Relationships among gender, gender role orientation, grade, and perceived self-competency were examined in this study. Subjects were almost entirely Caucasian and included one hundred...     

Age and change in the adult male sex role

The present paper proposes that the adult male sex role cannot be adequately understood without adopting a developmental perspective. The author reviews some of the current literature on the male sex role, summarizes Levinson's model of male adult personality development, and provides a reinterpretation of the mechanism by which men move into transition and stable periods. The paper concludes that men modify their conceptions of masculinity at a number of points throughout their adult years. These modifications result from dissonance created when their current concept of appropriate male behavior becomes too discrepant with age norms.     

The structure and content of the male gender role stereotype: An exploration of subtypes

Stereotypic categorization schemas pertaining to the male gender role are examined in two related studies. Study I provides preliminary evidence for four stereotypic categories and their attributes: Businessman, Athlete, Family Man, and Loser. When compared to a similar study on female stereotypes, male stereotypes appear more weakly held. Study II expanded the populations sampled, employing a hierarchical cluster analysis to analyze responses to a card sorting task using attributes from Study I. Differences were found between the three, primarily Caucasian, subject groups. Results support a social cognitive orientation to understanding stereotypes, which suggests that broad categories, such as “men” or “women,” do not capture the commonly made distinctions within these groups, which are more accurately conceptualized as subtypes.     

The role of peer groups in male and female adolescents' task values and physical activity

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the role of peer groups and sex in adolescents' task values and physical activity. The participants were 330 Finnish Grade 6 students (173 girls, 157 boys), who responded to questionnaires that assessed physical education task values during the spring semester (Time 1). Students' physical activity was assessed one year later (Time 2). The results indicated that adolescent peer groups were moderately homogeneous in terms of task values toward physical education and physical activity. Girls' peer groups were more homogeneous than those of boys in regards to utility and attainment values. Furthermore, the results for both girls and boys showed that particularly intrinsic task value typical for the peer group predicted group members' physical activity. The findings highlight the important role of peer group membership as a determinant of future physical activity.     

Integrating new soldiers: The role of leaders and unit members

The benefits of positively integrating newcomers into organizations are well known in civilian contexts. Less known is the role of integration among US soldiers who frequently relocate and integrate into new units. Perceptions of integration were examined both cross-sectionally and longitudinally as predictors of mental health, anger reactions, unit climate and functional impairment for soldiers who recently joined their unit. In addition to rating their perceptions of integration, soldiers also rated their leader and unit member support for integration. Cross-sectional correlations indicated that positive personal integration was significantly associated with fewer mental health problems, fewer anger reactions, better unit climate, and less functional impairment. Positive leader and unit support for integration was significantly associated with better unit climate. Positive leader support was also associated with fewer mental health symptoms. Only the associations of positive personal integration, with anxiety symptoms and unit climate held over time. Mediation analyses showed that personal integration fully mediated the cross-sectional relationship between leader support for integration and depression symptoms and partially mediated the relationship between leader support for integration and anxiety symptoms and unit climate. Personal integration also partially mediated the relationship between unit member support for integration and unit climate. These findings identify the importance of the individual’s personal perception of integration in predicting reduced mental health symptoms and increased unit climate, both in the short and long term. Leaders and unit members facilitate this process and could therefore benefit from training on how best to integrate new members to the unit.     

The role of memory consolidation in generalisation of new linguistic information

Accounts of memory that postulate complementary learning systems (CLS) have become increasingly influential in the field of language learning. These accounts predict that generalisation of newly learnt linguistic information to untrained contexts requires offline memory consolidation. Such generalisation should not be observed immediately after training, as these accounts claim unconsolidated representations are context and hippocampus-dependent and gain contextual and hippocampal independence only after consolidation. We trained participants on new affixes (e.g., -nule) attached to familiar word stems (e.g., buildnule), testing them immediately or 2days later. Participants showed an immediate advantage for trained affixes in a speeded shadowing task as long as these affixes occurred in the stem contexts in which they were learnt (e.g., buildnule). This learning effect generalised to words with untrained stems (e.g., sailnule) only in the delayed test condition. By contrast, a non-speeded definition selection task showed immediate generalisation. We propose that generalisation can be supported by initial context-dependent memories given sufficient processing time, but that context-independent lexical representations emerge only following consolidation, as predicted by CLS accounts.     

Psychopathy and aggressive behaviour among Nigerian male prison inmates: The moderating role of substance abuse

This study investigated the moderating role of substance abuse in the relationship between psychopathy and aggression among male prison inmates. Two hundred and sixty-seven male prison inmates from the Nigerian Prison Services were participants. The inmates were incarcerated for armed robbery (27.3%), theft (31.1%), murder (12.8%), rape/assault/child abuse (19.1%), burglary/arson (5.6%) and kidnapping (1.5%) in Enugu prisons, Nigeria. Their mean age was 28.32; SD = 5.53. Their length of time in prison ranges from 1 to 12 years, with a mean of 3.38 years. Participants responded to self-reported measures of aggression, psychopathy, and drug abuse. The result of the moderated regression analysis indicated substance abuse to moderate the relationship between primary psychopathy and verbal aggression, and between secondary psychopathy and hostility. The study findings underscore the importance of psychological intervention aimed at addressing aggression among prison inmates with histories of substance abuse and psychopathy.     

The measurement of role variables: Exploratory examination of a new approach

New measures of role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload were developed for a group of attorneys located in the headquarters of a large energy company. These measures were based upon a recently developed theory of behavior in organizations, which focuses on specific job products as an essential component of organizational roles. The measures have an attractive potential for applied efforts (e.g., training) to rectify or diminish role stress problems. Forty respondents completed the product-based measures in addition to commonly used measures of the role variables and a number of outcome measures. Results indicated that (1) the product-based role measures displayed patterns of relationships with outcomes which were quite similar to the patterns for commonly used role measures, and (2) the product-based measures of role variables compared favorably to commonly used measures in terms of frequency of relationships to outcome variables and appeared to be somewhat superior in terms of method variance problems.     

Intentions to use hormonal male contraception: The role of message framing,attitudes and stress appraisals

Two studies are reported. Study one (N = 104) explored the extent to which male hormonal contraception is perceived as risky compared to other prevention behaviours. Study two examined the effects of message framing on intentions to use hormonal male contraception and investigated whether attitude moderates message framing effects. Three hundred and four participants read either a loss frame or gain frame message and then completed questionnaires assessing their intentions to use hormonal male contraception, stress appraisals and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) variables. Exposure to a loss frame influenced intention to use the daily male pill in men with a more postive attitude. This suggests that attitude, but not other TPB variables or stress appraisals have the capacity to moderate framing effects. Stress appraisals, in addition to TPB variables, significantly predicted variance in behavioural intentions in men and women. These findings are discussed within the context of Prospect Theory, perceived risk and prevention/detection behaviours.     

Heightened male aggression toward sexualized women following romantic rejection: The mediating role of sex goal activation

Research from a variety of disciplines suggests a positive relationship between Western cultural sexualization and women's likelihood of suffering harm. In the current experiment, 157 young men were romantically rejected by a sexualized or non‐sexualized woman then given the opportunity to blast the woman with loud bursts of white noise. We tested whether the activation of sexual goals in men would mediate the relationship between sexualization and aggressive behavior after romantic rejection. We also tested whether behaving aggressively toward a woman after romantic rejection would increase men's feelings of sexual dominance. Results showed that interacting with a sexualized woman increased men's sex goals. Heightened sex goal activation, in turn, predicted increased aggression after romantic rejection. This result remained significant despite controlling for the effects of trait aggressiveness and negative affect. The findings suggest that heightened sex goal activation may lead men to perpetrate aggression against sexualized women who reject them.

     

A longitudinal study of conflict in new parents: The role of attachment

In this longitudinal study of the transition to parenthood, couples reported on their own conflict resolution tactics and their perceptions of their partners' tactics. Their reports were analyzed in terms of their own and their partners' attachment styles. The results showed that more anxious and more avoidant persons used less effective conflict resolution styles. They showed that both actor and partner attachment styles were related to conflict resolution tactics. They also showed that in some cases less avoidant and less anxious persons showed improvement over time, using fewer ineffective and more effective resolution tactics. More avoidant and more anxious individuals, in contrast, showed little improvement and in some cases even showed decline over time.