Effects of shape parameters on the attractiveness of a female body

Various researchers have suggested that certain anthropometric ratios can be used to measure female body attractiveness, including the waist to hip ratio, Body Mass Index (BMI), and the body volume divided by the square of the height (Volume-Height Index). Based on a wide range of female subjects and virtual images of bodies with different ratios, Volume-Height Index was found to provide the best fit with female body attractiveness, and the effect of Volume-Height Index can be fitted with two half bell-shaped exponential curves with an optimal Volume-Height Index at 14.2 liter/m2. It is suggested that the general trend of the effect of Volume-Height Index may be culturally invariant, but the optimal value of Volume-Height Index may vary from culture to culture. In addition to Volume-Height Index, other body parameters or ratios which reflect body proportions and the traits of feminine characteristics had smaller but significant effects on female body attractiveness, and such effects were stronger at optimum Volume-Height Index.     

Association and dissociation between detection and discrimination of objects of expertise: Evidence from visual search

Expertise in face recognition is characterized by high proficiency in distinguishing between individual faces. However, faces also enjoy an advantage at the early stage of basic-level detection, as demonstrated by efficient visual search for faces among nonface objects. In the present study, we asked (1) whether the face advantage in detection is a unique signature of face expertise, or whether it generalizes to other objects of expertise, and (2) whether expertise in face detection is intrinsically linked to expertise in face individuation. We compared how groups with varying degrees of object and face expertise (typical adults, developmental prosopagnosics [DP], and car experts) search for objects within and outside their domains of expertise (faces, cars, airplanes, and butterflies) among a variable set of object distractors. Across all three groups, search efficiency (indexed by reaction time slopes) was higher for faces and airplanes than for cars and butterflies. Notably, the search slope for car targets was considerably shallower in the car experts than in nonexperts. Although the mean face slope was slightly steeper among the DPs than in the other two groups, most of the DPs’ search slopes were well within the normative range. This pattern of results suggests that expertise in object detection is indeed associated with expertise at the subordinate level, that it is not specific to faces, and that the two types of expertise are distinct facilities. We discuss the potential role of experience in bridging between low-level discriminative features and high-level naturalistic categories.     

Lateral biases and reading direction: a dissociation between aesthetic preference and line bisection

Perceptual asymmetries for tasks involving aesthetic preference or line bisection can be affected by asymmetrical neurological mechanisms or left/right reading habits. This study investigated the relative contribution of these mechanisms in 100 readers of Japanese and English. Participants made aesthetic judgments between pairs of mirror-reversed pictures showing: (a) static objects, (b) moving objects and (c) landscapes. A line bisection task was also administered. There was a strong effect of reading direction for static and mobile objects whereby Japanese readers preferred objects with a right-to-left directionality (and vice versa for English readers). In contrast, similar patterns were observed for the Japanese and English readers for the landscape and line bisection tasks. The results show that reading habits affect aesthetic judgments for static and moving object tasks, but not the landscape and line bisection tasks. The difference between the tasks may be related to the horizontal/vertical geometry of the stimuli, which makes the landscape and line bisection tasks more prone to universal effects related to cerebral dominance.     

Children's preference for body or external object on a task requiring transposition and discrimination of right-left relations.

First graders were tested on trials requiring the discrimination and transposition of right-left relations, with stimuli similar to (dolls) or different from (toy planes) the body. On an initial series of training and practice trials children were allowed to respond to body and external objects as referents providing right-left cues. A later series of test trials was then used to determine the referent the child actually preferred. Results of the test trials indicated that 24 children tested with the dolls preferred the body as referent, while 24 children tested with planes preferred the external referent. The results were interpreted as suggesting two alternative systems through which children develop an understanding of right-left relations and possibly other concepts as well.     

When increasing liking for a communicator decreases opinion change: An attribution analysis of attractiveness

Fifty-six female subjects were asked to discuss, through passing notes, a personal injury case with a partner. Liking for the partner was manipulated by informing subjects either that their partner was very cold and penurious (low attractiveness), or was very warm and generous (high attractiveness). During the discussions, the partners' notes were replaced by notes that argued for either a very low or a very high amount of compensation. Though the general rule is that influence should mirror liking, attribution theory (Kelley, 1967) leads to the expectation that in this setting the persuasiveness of the liked versus the disliked partner should depend on the amount of compensation advocated, with low compensation arguments being more persuasive when believed to be given by the liked partner, but high compensation arguments more influential when believed to be given by the disliked partner. The results supported attribution theory. Implications for the way attractiveness has been conceptualized in the social psychology literature are discussed.     

Raising the bar on the body beautiful: An analysis of the body image concerns of homosexual men

Research suggests that gay men are at particular risk for body image dissatisfaction. This study seeks to extend research on gay men's body image concerns. A survey assessed the nature and correlates of body image dissatisfaction among 64 gay men. The survey included assessments related to involvement in and perceived acceptance within the gay community, social comparison tendencies, body image satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression. The results indicate that most participants were concerned with muscularity rather than weight. Greater social comparison tendencies and higher body mass index (BMI) were associated with greater body dissatisfaction. Although involvement and perceived acceptance in the gay community did not independently predict general body image dissatisfaction, there is evidence to suggest that the association between body image and self-esteem may be moderated by integration into the gay community, defined as involvement and perceived acceptance. Implications for the further study of gay men's body image are discussed.     

Effects of a physical exercise session on state body image: The influence of pre-experimental body dissatisfaction and concerns about weight and shape

The effects of a physical exercise session on state body image and mood were examined. In a cross-over design, participants were randomised to two groups starting either with physical exercise (PE; experimental condition) or with reading a newspaper (RN; control condition). Before and after PE and RN, participants (N = 65) rated their body dimensions using a digital photo distortion technique and indicated their attitudinal body image and mood. Participants’ judgements of their ‘felt’ body dimensions and attitudes toward their own body were affected differently by PE and RN, indicating that participants felt slightly slimmer and were more satisfied with their bodies after PE. Exercise-induced changes in body perception were greater, the higher the pre-experimental drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction and weight/shape concerns were. Especially in those participants with higher body image disturbances, physical exercise can have a reinforcing effect on immediate body image and mood improvement.     

Evidence for strong dissociation between emotion and facial displays: the case of surprise

Eight experiments examined facial expressions of surprise in adults. Surprise was induced by disconfirming a previously established schema or expectancy. Self-reports and behavioral measures indicated the presence of surprise in most participants, but surprise expressions were observed only in 4%-25%, and most displays consisted of eyebrow raising only; the full, 3-component display was never seen. Experimental variations of surprise intensity, sociality, and duration/complexity of the surprising event did not change these results. Electromyographic measurement failed to detect notably more brow raisings and, in one study, revealed a decrease of frontalis muscle activity in the majority of the participants. Nonetheless, most participants believed that they had shown a strong surprise expression.     

Dividing attention between color and shape: Evidence of coactivation

When attention is divided between spatially distinct objects, the time-to detect a target decreases when two or more targets are present. This redundancy gain can be accounted for by an interactive race model (Mordkoff & Yantis, 1991) in which separate decisions are made about each object, but environmental contingencies among the objects can influence decision times. In the present study, we examined whether the model also accounts for performance when attention must be divided between stimulus attributes other than spatial location. Subjects made target-present responses when displays included a prespecified color, a prespecified letter, or both target features. The data violated the predictions of all separate-activations models, including the interactive race model. Two control experiments ruled out an alternative account based on task complexity. We conclude that coactivation occurs when target attributes from two separable dimensions are simultaneously present, but not when target attributes come from the same dimension. A modular hybrid of race and coactivation models is tentatively proposed.     

新生儿情绪性语音加工的正性偏向——来自事件相关电位的证据

准确解码语音中的情绪信息能让个体更好地适应社会环境, 此能力对新生儿和婴儿尤其重要, 因为人类刚出生时听觉系统远比视觉系统发育得完善。虽然已有研究表明5~7月龄的婴儿能分辨不同情绪种类的语音, 但目前对新生儿的研究还非常少。人类是否在出生时即具有分辨不同种类情绪性语音的能力?新生儿对情绪的加工是否存在正性或负性偏向?本文选用odd-ball范式考察高兴、恐惧、愤怒三种韵律性语音在1~6天龄新生儿大脑中诱发的事件相关电位。实验1直接对比三种情绪性条件, 发现新生儿大脑的额区(F3和F4电极点)可以区分情绪性语音的正负性, 正性(高兴)语音诱发的“失匹配反应”幅度明显大于负性(愤怒和恐惧)语音。实验2采用偏差和标准刺激反转的odd-ball范式, 证实了实验1的结果并非源于三种情绪语音物理属性的差异。本文的结果提示, 新生儿大脑可自动辨别正性与负性情绪语音, 但尚不能将愤怒和恐惧两种负性语音区分开来。更重要的是, 高兴语音比两种负性语音诱发了更大的失匹配反应, 这一结果首次从神经学层面(电生理指标)为新生儿情绪性语音加工的正性偏向提供了证据。     

An analysis of learning data which distinguishes between initial preference and learning ability

Several sets of learning data furnished by I. Krechevsky have been analyzed in terms of meaningful parameters of the learning curve, and the changes in the frequency distributions of these parameters with changes in the experimental conditions have been studied. One of the parameters represents the animal's initial preference for the light or dark, the other represents learning ability. The analysis shows that destruction of about ten or fifteen per cent. of the cortex, increases the animal's preference for the light and decreases the learning ability slightly. By ordinary methods of analysis, it is not possible to discover thatboth initial preference and learning ability have been changed by any given factor.The author wishes to acknowledge financial assistance from the Social Science Research Committee of the University of Chicago in the completion of this study.     

Auditory feedback in music performance: Evidence for a dissociation of sequencing and timing

Four experiments examined temporal relationships between actions and auditory feedback in music performance. Experiment 1 incorporated phase shifts of feedback, which disrupted produced timing but not overall accuracy. Experiment 2 incorporated period shifts of pitch contents for synchronized feedback that primarily disrupted accuracy more than timing. Experiment 3 incorporated combined phase and period shifts, which caused moderate disruption to timing and accuracy and revealed interactive effects of period and phase shifts on production. A 4th experiment included all feedback conditions in the same session to confirm differences across Experiments 1-3. These results are consistent with the view that actions and their perceptual consequences are coordinated in a way that distinguishes timing (phase shifts) from sequencing (period shifts). ((c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the relationship between employer knowledge dimensions and organizational attractiveness: An application in a military context

This study uses Cable and Turban's (2001) employer knowledge framework as a conceptual model to formulate hypotheses about a broad range of possible factors affecting the attractiveness of an organization (i.e. armed forces) among potential applicants (576 high‐school seniors). Results show that gender, familiarity with military organizations, perceptions of job and organizational attributes (task diversity and social/team activities), and trait inferences (excitement, prestige, and cheerfulness) explained potential applicants' attraction to military organizations. Relative importance analyses showed that trait inferences contributed most to the variance, followed by job and organizational attributes, and employer familiarity. Finally, we found some evidence of interactions between the three dimensions. Specifically, trait inferences and job and organizational attributes had more pronounced effects when familiarity was high. From a theoretical perspective, these results generally support the framework of employer knowledge. At a practical level, implications for image audit and image management are discussed.     

Threat of the thin-ideal body image and body malleability beliefs: effects on body image self-discrepancies and behavioral intentions

This study examined the effect of the threat aroused by the perception of thin-ideal images combined with beliefs about the malleability of the body on perceived/objective, ideal/objective and ought/objective body image self-discrepancies. An experimental computer program enabled women (N=82) to artificially increase or decrease the shape of their own body (previously photographed) in response to questions about their "actual", "ideal" and "ought" body self-perceptions. As predicted, results showed that women had greater body self-discrepancies when confronted with threatening thin ideals, regardless of their body mass index. The size of this trend depended on the way they were made to think of their body (malleable vs. fixed). Findings also suggested a possible relationship between body self-representations and eating behaviors or intentions. The impact of thin-ideal threats and body malleability beliefs on body perception is discussed.     

Behavioral asymmetries of psychomotor performance in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): a dissociation between hand preference and skill.

Hand preferences were recorded for 35 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) as they manipulated a joystick in response to 2 computerized tasks. These preferences were then used to contrast 8 left- and 10 right-handed subjects on performance measures of hand skill. Individual hand preferences were found, but no significant population asymmetry was observed across the sample. However, the performance data reveal substantial benefits of right-handedness for joystick manipulation, as this group of monkeys mastered the 2 psychomotor tasks significantly faster than did their left-handed counterparts. The data support earlier reports of a right-hand advantage for joystick manipulation and also support the importance of distinguishing between hand preference and manual performance in research on functional asymmetries.     

The effect of disgust on preference for structure: Evidence for a double‐sided response

The literature on emotions converges on the idea that people cope with the undesired effects of disgust through an immediate response of avoidance aimed to the physical and psychological rejection of any contamination threat. However, previous research does not consider what happens after this immediate response. We investigate the dual response to disgust and propose that disgust generates an immediate preference for structure, but also an opposite, subsequent tendency to prefer unstructured stimuli. Our reasoning is based on the mobilization‐minimization theory, which suggests opposed reactions to negative emotions. We demonstrate that, while immediate reactions to disgust imply preference for structured logos, after the disgust‐eliciting stimulus is eliminated from the environment, people show higher preference for visually unstructured logos. The study of the dual response to disgust offers novel insights to consumer behavior, decision‐making, and emotion literature, showing that a typically avoidance‐triggering emotion, that is, disgust, can then lead to opposite effects in terms of preference for structure.     

The discrimination of angry and fearful facial expressions in 7-month-old infants: An event-related potential study

The important ability to discriminate facial expressions of emotion develops early in human ontogeny. In the present study, 7-month-old infants’ event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to angry and fearful emotional expressions were measured. The angry face evoked a larger negative component (Nc) at fronto-central leads between 300 and 600 ms after stimulus onset when compared to the amplitude of the Nc to the fearful face. Furthermore, over posterior channels, the angry expression elicited a N290 that was larger in amplitude and a P400 that was smaller in amplitude than for the fearful expression. This is the first study that shows that the ability of infants to discriminate angry and fearful facial expressions can be measured at the electrophysiological level. These data suggest that 7-month-olds allocated more attentional resources to the angry face as indexed by the Nc. Implications of this result may be that the social signal values were perceived differentially, not merely as “negative”. Furthermore, it is possible that the angry expression might have been more arousing and discomforting for the infant compared with the fearful expression.     

The role of fundamental frequency in signaling linguistic stress and affect: Evidence for a dissociation

The fundamental frequency (F0) of the voice is used to convey information about both linguistic and affective distinctions. However, no research has directly investigated how these two types of distinctions are simultaneously encoded in speech production. This study provides evidence thatF0 prominences intended to convey linguistic or affective distinctions can be differentiated by their influence on the amount of final-syllableF0 rise used to signal a question. Specifically, a trading relation obtains when theF0 prominence is used to convey emphatic stress. That is, the amount of finalsyllableF0 rise decreases as theF0 prominence increases. When theF0 prominence is used to convey affect, no trading relation is observed.     

Impact of a healthy body image program among adolescent boys on body image,negative affect,and body change strategies

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a healthy body image program. In total, 421 adolescent boys completed a five-session intervention program or a wait list control group. There were no differences between the intervention and the control group at post-intervention or any of the follow-up times. Boys in the intervention group who were one standard deviation above the mean on body dissatisfaction at baseline, demonstrated a reduction in negative affect in the intervention group at post-test and 6 months follow-up. Prevention programs need to target boys who are at risk of adopting health risk behaviors, rather than being universally applied.