Effects of stimulus characteristics and sex of subject on perceived emotion

To determine the influence of pupil size, eye size, sex of stimulus face, and sex of subject on perceived emotion, 308 college students filled in missing features on stimulus faces. Each face was independently rated by two male judges on a continuum of negative to positive emotion. Analysis indicated that sex of subject was the only variable to affect perceived emotion. Women (n = 175) tended to draw faces that were judged to be more positive than faces drawn by men (n = 133).     

Effects of sex and sex roles on the perceived maladaptiveness of DSM-IV personality disorder symptoms

This study investigated the influence of sex on the perceived maladaptiveness of DSM-IV personality disorder criteria based on previous findings that inconsistency of symptoms with sex roles affects the perception of personality disorder symptoms. The effects of rater characteristics (i.e., sex, sex role) were also examined. A total of 161 undergraduates (65 men, 96 women) rated the diagnostic criteria according to how maladaptive they were for males (male condition), females (female condition), or without regard to sex (neutral condition that served as a baseline) using a 7-point scale. Participants' sex role was determined using the Bem Sex Role (1981a) Inventory. Dependent and depressive personality disorder criteria (trend for borderline) were rated more maladaptive for females than males, whereas obsessive-compulsive personality disorder criteria were rated more maladaptive for males than females. Participant sex and sex role had little or no significant effects on the ratings. Results are compared with those of previous research. Methodological issues and implications for the diagnosis of personality disorders are discussed.     

Effects of participants' sex and targets' perceived need on supermarket helping behavior

A field experiment was focused on whether participants' sex and targets' perceived need influenced helping behavior. Confederates approached 332 (166 women, 166 men) same-sex participants in a supermarket and asked for 25 cents to help purchase one of three randomly assigned food items: milk which was defined as a high-need item, frozen cookie dough which served as a low-need item, or alcohol, which was a low-need item with negative social connotations. The dependent variable was whether a participant provided help. Participants' sex was not associated with helping behavior as equal proportions of men and women provided assistance to the confederate; however, perceived need strongly influenced whether the confederate received help. Specifically, the high-need item produced more helping behavior than did either of the low-need items, and the socially acceptable low-need item of cookie dough produced more helping behavior than the socially unacceptable low-need item of alcohol. This may be interpreted as showing that what one buys and how deserving of help one appears to be influence whether one is helped by others.     

Effects of perceived scrutiny on participant memory for social interactions

It is well known that passive audiences can impair performance on all but the simplest of tasks. The present research asked whether audience impairment effects occur as well when performers do not know, but only imagine that they are being watched, when performers are interacting with rather than merely being observed by the “audience,” and when the performance in question is one to which the audience has no access—namely, the encoding of information exchanged in a dyadic interaction. The hypothesis was that worry about being evaluated interferes with effective information processing, but only for time periods during which one of two interactants entertains distracting thoughts about the other person's possible scrutiny. To model this situation, pairs of unacquainted university students were asked to exchange opinions over a “TV phone.” On some trials one subject's image appeared on both monitors, on some trials the other subject's image appeared on both monitors, and on some trials both monitors were blank. In subsequent unanticipated recognition memory tests, participants remembered fewer of the opinions expressed during time periods when their own image was shown. This occurred even when nothing about participants' overt behavior affected the memory of observers, even when the TV images were supposedly incidental to the task, and even when the periods of scrutiny occurred at random 15-sec intervals, but the effect was limited to subjects who worry about the impression they make, and to time periods when their image was available to the other participants (not just to themselves).     

Effects of steady-state exercise on perceived pain: comparison of sedentary students and cyclists

In this study, the effect of fitness level on perceived pain before and after a steady state exercise was investigated. Ten trained cyclists (M age=25.2 yr., SD=4.9) and 10 sedentary men (Mage=24.5 yr., SD=2.2) performed a maximal graded test on a cycle ergometer. At least 48 hr. later the participants of both groups performed a 30-min. steady-state cycling test at 75% of VO2 max. Before the steady-state exercise and 5- and 30-min. postexercise, a pressure pain stimulation test was applied on the finger of each participant. Perceived pain was measured with Borg's CR10 scale at the end of each pain stimulation. The results indicated no significant changes in perceived pain between the pre-exercise and 5- and 30-min. postexercise values (effect sizes=.07 and .19, respectively). Moreover, no significant difference in perceived pain was found between the groups for pre-exercise (ES=.02) and 5- and 30-min. postexercise (ES=.16 and .21, respectively) values. These results do not confirm the analgesic effects usually observed after steady state exercise. Therefore, it is not possible to compare the analgesic effect of this exercise mode between participants characterized by different fitness levels.     

The effects of dimmable road lighting: A comparison of measured and perceived visibility

By dimming road lighting, energy can be conserved without compromising traffic safety. This paper presents a study carried out on the effect of different lighting levels from road luminaires on drivers’ visual performance on a low traffic urban road. The small uniform target was used to evaluate the visibility performance of the drivers. The results obtained from subjective graded visibility were compared with contrast and the Adrian model. Results indicated a strong correlation between subjective graded visibility and contrast (R² = 0.94) and a positive correlation between subjective graded visibility and the Adrian model (R² = 0.88). Target’s location in relation to road luminaires had a considerable effect on its visibility. However, visibility is not a monotonic function of road lighting level. In the absence of glare from an oncoming car, 49% (3557 lm) of road lighting intensity provided better contrast and mean visibility than 100% (7252 lm) and 71% (5179 lm) of road lighting intensities. The glare from oncoming cars reduced visibility. However, no statistically significant effect of road lighting level on visibility under glare could be found.     

Framing social judgment: self-ingroup comparison and perceived discrimination

Members of disadvantaged groups often report that they are less vulnerable to discrimination than is the average member of their group. In two experiments, we examined how the framing of self-ingroup comparisons moderates this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, participants estimated the relative likelihood that either they, compared to the average member of their ingroup, would experience discrimination or that the average member of their ingroup, compared to themselves, would experience discrimination. In Experiment 2, a direct manipulation of self-ingroup similarity was added to this framing manipulation. Across the experiments, the results demonstrated that conditions highlighting differences between the individual and the group led participants to perceive themselves as much less vulnerable to discrimination than their group, relative to conditions highlighting similarities between the individual and the group.     

A comparison of AME and CR100 for scaling perceived exertion

In psychophysical studies of the relation between perceived magnitude and physical stimulus, interest has focused on the preciseness of growth functions. Very little interest has been devoted to natural levels of an "absolute" character and to the validity of direct measurements. In this article, the Category (C)-Ratio (R) (CR) scaling methodology, developed by Borg (1973, 1977, 1982) is presented together with a new CR scale: the CR100 scale. In an experiment on perceived exertion, CR100 was compared with Absolute Magnitude Estimation (AME). Perceived exertion has the advantage of having easily measured physiological variables that can function as validity criteria. 32 persons (16 men and 16 women) participated as subjects on two different occasions, and the presentation order was counterbalanced. Results from CR100 and AME could be described equally well with psychophysical functions. The exponents obtained with CR100 were n = 1.60 for women and n = 1.69 for men, and the corresponding exponents for AME were n = 1.60 for women and n = 1.46 for men (with a "noise" constant included in the function). ANOVA showed that CR100 could make the predicted differentiation between sexes, whereas AME could not. This drawback with AME was also found when using the methods to predict working capacity.     

Inventoried and observed stress in parent-child interactions

It has been hypothesized that parental stress results in poor parent-child interactions. However, this has not been adequately researched due to the difficulty in measuring and quantifying parenting stress and parent-child interaction quality. Two measures were employed in the present study to evaluate the parent-child relationship. The Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) was used to provide a context in which to assess the quality of parent-child interactions, and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) was used as a measure of stress in the family system. The present study (1) developed a standardized behavioral rating system for the MIM, (2) tested 46 parent-child dyads with the MIM and PSI, and (3) assessed which subscales of the PSI were the best predictors of parent-child behavior observed during the MIM. Parents reporting more stress on the PSI were rated as displaying significantly lower quality (more negative) parentchild interactions. In addition, parents’ socioeconomic status accounted for 65 % of the variance, and parental stress accounted for an additional 9% of the variance, in MIM behavior ratings.     

A comparison of blindpulling and blindwalking as measures of perceived absolute distance

Blindwalking has become a common measure of perceived absolute distance and location, but it requires a relatively large testing space and cannot be used with people for whom walking is difficult or impossible. In the present article, we describe an alternative response type that is closely matched to blindwalking in several important respects but is less resource intensive. In the blindpulling technique, participants view a target, then close their eyes and pull a length of tape or rope between the hands to indicate the remembered target distance. As with blindwalking, this response requires integration of cyclical, bilateral limb movements over time. Blind-pulling and blindwalking responses are tightly linked across a range of viewing conditions, and blind-pulling is accurate when prior exposure to visually guided pulling is provided. Thus, blindpulling shows promise as a measure of perceived distance that may be used in nonambulatory populations and when the space available for testing is limited.     

Reactions to AIDS and other illnesses: reported interactions in the workplace

Previous research on the public's response to AIDS has been concerned with attitudes and knowledge in relation to the disease itself. The present study investigated American students' willingness to interact in the workplace with AIDS patients and compared this with their reactions to cancer and hepatitis patients. The effects of perceived control over the cause of the disease were also examined. Exposure to the diseases was manipulated with written scenarios. Results demonstrated that the type of illness affected a willingness to interact with individuals--AIDS patients were reacted to least positively, followed by hepatitis, and cancer patients. Perceived control over the cause of the disease did not affect reactions.     

A comparison of same- and cross-age interactions in mixed-age groups

This study investigated the types of interactions occurring within and between age groups in mixed-age preschool classes. Using point-time sampling procedures, the peer interactions of 30 3- to 5-year-old preschool children enrolled in two preschool classes were recorded. Interactions were coded according to six categories and according to the role of the target child in the interaction. Contrary to popular assumptions about interactions in mixed-age groups, results indicated that for both the older and younger children the types of interactions occurring across age groups did not differ significantly from interactions within same-age groups. Symmetrical rather than asymmetrical relationships across age groups were found in the exchange of nurturance, direction and information.     

Neutralization and delinquency: a comparison by sex and ethnicity

A path model illustrating the relationships between church attendance, delinquent peer association, tendency to neutralize delinquency, and self-reported delinquent behavior was compared between males and females and between Mexican-American and Anglo college students (N = 694). The structure of the relationships among these variables was found to be similar across all four subsamples, although there was some variation in the strength of the relationships. In all four subsamples, the strongest paths were between neutralization and delinquent behavior, especially among Anglos and among males, and the weakest paths were between church attendance and delinquent behavior. On the other hand, church attendance was more strongly related to having fewer delinquent peers among Anglos and females. The path models explained substantial amounts of variation in delinquent behavior: 38% among Anglos, 32% among females, 31% among males, and 30% among Mexican-Americans.     

Lip colour affects perceived sex typicality and attractiveness of human faces

The luminance contrast between facial features and facial skin is greater in women than in men, and women's use of make-up enhances this contrast. In black-and-white photographs, increased luminance contrast enhances femininity and attractiveness in women's faces, but reduces masculinity and attractiveness in men's faces. In Caucasians, much of the contrast between the lips and facial skin is in redness. Red lips have been considered attractive in women in geographically and temporally diverse cultures, possibly because they mimic vasodilation associated with sexual arousal. Here, we investigate the effects of lip luminance and colour contrast on the attractiveness and sex typicality (masculinity/femininity) of human faces. In a Caucasian sample, we allowed participants to manipulate the colour of the lips in colour-calibrated face photographs along CIELab L* (light--dark), a* (red--green), and b* (yellow--blue) axes to enhance apparent attractiveness and sex typicality. Participants increased redness contrast to enhance femininity and attractiveness of female faces, but reduced redness contrast to enhance masculinity of men's faces. Lip blueness was reduced more in female than male faces. Increased lightness contrast enhanced the attractiveness of both sexes, and had little effect on perceptions of sex typicality. The association between lip colour contrast and attractiveness in women's faces may be attributable to its association with oxygenated blood perfusion indicating oestrogen levels, sexual arousal, and cardiac and respiratory health.     

Cultural differences in perceived coherence of the self and ingroup: A Japan–Australia comparison

Past studies have found that East Asians ascribe less consistency to individual selves than Westerners, but ascribe more consistency to social groups than Westerners. Using the concepts of naive dialecticism (i.e. the tendency to tolerate contradiction) and psychological essentialism (i.e. the tendency to attribute a fixed essence to something) as different aspects of consistency perception, we examined patterns of perceived consistency of the self and national ingroup among Japanese and Australians. Compared to Australians, Japanese showed more naive dialecticism and less psychological essentialism for the self; however, this cultural difference was not found for their national ingroups. These findings suggest that lay theories are applied in a domain‐specific manner, and the domains to which they are applied depend on culture.     

Safety perceptions and reported behavior related to cycling in mixed traffic: A comparison between Brisbane and Copenhagen

This study explores the differences in safety perceptions and reported behavior of cyclists in mixed traffic between an emerging cycling city (Brisbane, Australia) and an established cycling city (Copenhagen, Denmark). Perceptions and reported behavior were retrieved from a custom-designed web-based survey administered among cyclists in the two cities. Elicited items concerned perceived risk of infrastructure layouts, fear of traffic, cycling while distracted, use of safety gear, cycling avoidance due to feeling unsafe, and avoidance to cycle in mixed traffic conditions. The data were analyzed with structural equation models. Results show that, in comparison with cyclists in Copenhagen, cyclists in Brisbane perceive mixed traffic infrastructure layouts as less safe, feel more fear of traffic, and are more likely to adopt cycling avoidance as a coping strategy. Results also show that cyclists in Copenhagen tend to use less helmets and to cycle more while being distracted.     

Reactions to perceived deprivation in ingroup and outgroup: a cross-cultural comparison

An experiment is reported in which the reactions of observers to the relative and absolute deprivation of others are assessed. Eighty German and 80 Italian subjects made decisions about ingroup (own nationality) or outgroup (foreign) protagonists suffering high or low relative and absolute deprivation. Results showed that subjects were more likely to take social action that violated some rule when the protagonist was in high rather than low absolute deprivation. Racist subjects were somewhat more likely to satisfy the request of a deprived ingroup protagonist whereas non-racist subjects favoured the deprived outgroup. No differences emerged for non-deprived protagonists. Overall, Germans tended to take social action only when the protagonist suffered high absolute deprivation whereas Italians took action regardless of degree of absolute deprivation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multisite comparison of actuarial risk instruments for sex offenders

Four actuarial instruments for the prediction of violent and sexual reoffending (the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide [VRAG], Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide [SORAG], Rapid Risk Assessment for Sex Offender Recidivism [RRASOR] and Static-99) were evaluated in 4 samples of sex offenders (N = 396). Although all 4 instruments predicted violent (including sexual) recidivism and recidivism known to be sexually motivated, areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were consistently higher for the VRAG and the SORAG. The instruments performed better when there were fewer missing items and follow-up time was fixed, with an ROC area up to .84 for the VRAG, for example, under such favorable conditions. Predictive accuracy was higher for child molesters than for rapists, especially for the Static-99 and the RRASOR. Consistent with past research, survival analyses revealed that those offenders high in both psychopathy and sexual deviance were an especially high-risk group.