Countries with fewer males have more violent crime: marriage markets and mating aggression

Violent crimes (murders, rapes, and assaults) are substantially higher in countries with a relative scarcity of men according to research using INTERPOL data [Barber, 2000a]. This is a paradox given that males are more criminally violent and likely reflects increased direct mating competition. The present research sought to confirm and extend Barber's [2000a] finding, using murder data from the United Nations and homicides from World Health Organization that are of higher quality than the INTERPOL data, and using more rigorous controls. In addition to level of economic development, control variables included, income inequality, urbanization, population density, the number of police, and whether the country was a major center of illegal drug trafficking. Regression analyses with all controls found that killings in both data sets increased with declines in the male proportion of the population. The findings are discussed in terms of direct reproductive competition and alternative explanations are considered.     

Visible Speech as a Function of Image Quality: Effects of Display Parameters on Lipreading Ability

Two experiments are reported that examine effects of certain visual display parameters on subjects' ability to lipread numbers. The quality of the image of the speaker's face is altered by varying temporal resolution (frame rate), spatial resolution (number of pixels) and contrast resolution (number of grey scale levels). In Experiment 1, combinations of these variables are examined in a repeated measures design and reliable effects of reducing both frame rate and number of grey levels are evident. In Experiment 2, the frame rate and grey scale settings are factorially combined on a between-subjects basis, and practice is given so that subjects can adapt to the display conditions to which they are exposed. Effects of frame rate and grey scale are again statistically significant, and additive. Lipreading performance improves over the short duration of the experiment, but both image variables continue to affect performance. The effect size of the grey scale factor decreases with practice, but not that of frame rate. The results are discussed with regard to the kinds of relevant visual cues that may be affected by image degradation. Implications for the planned development of low cost digital communication are also considered. Trading off one image variable at the expense of another may be necessary to meet bandwidth limitations, and data such as those presented will be necessary to decide on a combination of parameter values to satisfy human performance and technical criteria.     

Interrelationships between spider fear associations,attentional disengagement and self-reported fear: A preliminary test of a dual-systems model

Recent conceptualisations of anxiety posit that equivocal findings related to the time-course of disengaging from threat-relevant stimuli may be attributable to individual differences in associative and rule-based processing. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that strength of spider-fear associations would indirectly predict reported spider fear via impaired disengagement. One hundred and thirty-one undergraduate volunteer participants completed the Go/No-go Association Task, a visual search task, and self-report spider fear questionnaires. Stronger spider-fear associations were associated with reduced disengagement accuracy, whereas higher levels of reported spider fear were related to faster engagement with and disengagement from spiders. Bootstrapping multiple mediation analyses demonstrated that stronger-spider fear associations evidenced an indirect relationship with reported spider fear via reduced disengagement accuracy, highlighting the importance of fine-grained analyses of different aspects of cognitive bias. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive models of anxiety.     

Rudi Visker,Truth and Singularity: Taking Foucault into Phenomenology

Continental Philosophy Review -     

Crowding,Performance, and Affect: A Field Experiment Investigating Mediational Processes1

Several mediating variables have been suggested for the effects of crowding on mental task performance. Among these are behavioral constraints imposed by crowds, mental overload, and loss of control. The present field experiment investigated the influence of crowding and providing information about the physiological effects of crowding on task performance and on affect, and the extent to which each of these effects is mediated by the 3 potential mediators. The results indicate that the effects of crowding on physical task performance were mediated by mental overload, and the effects on mental task performance and affect were mediated mainly by behavioral constraints. Directions for future research are suggested.     

Testing Clinical Intuitions About Barriers to Improvement in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder

Although clinical intuitions influence psychotherapeutic practice and are a rich source of novel hypotheses for research, many remain to be empirically tested. This study evaluates whether clinicians’ beliefs about barriers to progress in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder are supported by data. Data from a randomized-controlled trial comparing CBT to panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP) for adults with primary panic disorder (N = 161) were used to evaluate 15 factors endorsed by clinicians as impediments to CBT in a recent survey. Panic severity was assessed before, during (at Weeks 1, 5, and 9), and at termination of treatment (Week 12) using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that none of the perceived barriers were predictive of poor outcome. Contrary to clinicians’ intuitions, dissociation during panic attacks was associated with greater symptomatic improvement in both treatment arms (β = ?0.69, p < .05), above the effect of established predictors. Moderation analyses revealed that when patients had PTSD diagnosed with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (β = 1.71, p < .05) or less severe panic disorder (β = 0.45, p = .04), they changed more rapidly in CBT than in PFPP. Overall, clinician agreement was inversely related to the strength of a predictor (r = ?.24, p = .39). Although clinical intuitions can be useful as clinical and empirical signals, such beliefs should be critically examined before informing practice. Dialogue between academics and clinicians might be enhanced through research that incorporates input from front-line practitioners.     

Contents: Volume 29

This paper describes our experience in treating nearly 200 eating disordered patients ages eleven to thirty-five in five ongoing, open groups combining inpatients and outpatients. A limited outcome study of 121 patients who attended group regularly is presented. Guidelines are offered for group formation, referral to group, function of the therapists, group themes, and management of specific problems arising during the group. Our experience suggests broader applicability of group treatment for eating disorders than previously reported. The age and developmental level of the patient is a more important consideration in group placement than the nature or severity of their eating disorder. More vigorous and longer term follow-up studies are necessary to determine the lasting benefits of group psychotherapy for this patient population.     

Gender Mainstreaming and Healthcare Policy

This review addresses how The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Healthcare structures and analyzes the themes that emerge from its own interrogation of the complex concepts of gender, equality, health and policy. Overall the review takes a complimentary tone towards the handbook's arguments and premises and the unique research that sets it apart from other more scientifically or development based gender health texts. It points out, however, that the book maintains its focus on the global north and the efficacy of state policy as the primary tool for gender equality, however defined. The author suggests that in future discussions, the alternative routes and different countries that are only just touched on in the text should be more thoroughly explored.     

Social Psychological Benefits of Gay Games Participation: A Social Identity Theory Explanation

Abstract

Research examining sexual orientation in sport settings has been limited in scope and lacked theoretical frameworks. To extend this body of research, the current study was framed within social identity theory and examined the impact of Gay Games participation on: (a) social identity, self-esteem, and collective esteem; and (b) expected subsequent social change activities following the Games. One hundred and twenty-five lesbian and bisexual athletes competing in Gay Games V participated in this investigation. The athletes completed a demographic profile and an open-ended questionnaire that asked about their Gay Games experience as well as expected social change activities after the Games. A content analysis of the responses revealed themes consistent with social identity theory. Specifically, these individuals identified the role of the Gay Games on social categorization, personal and social identity, and self and collective esteem. Additionally, these women revealed that following the Gay Games they felt more likely to work towards social change by becoming more out, educating others, and working through political channels.