Flirtatious Communication: An Experimental Examination of Perceptions of Social-Sexual Communication Motivated by Evolutionary Forces

Guided by Relational Framing and Parental Investment Theories, this investigation examined experimentally induced flirtatious interactions. United States undergraduates (N?=?252) from the Mid-Atlantic region viewed a flirtatious interaction and rated a confederate on physical and social attraction, affiliation, dominance, and conversational effectiveness. Generally, it was hypothesized that different flirting motivations would lead to different evaluations of the flirters, and perceptions of flirters would vary based on gender. Results revealed that men were evaluated as more dominant and affiliative than women when flirting, but dominance in men was not perceived as attractive or conversationally effective. In addition, men??s attraction to women increased significantly when women flirted for sexual motives, and women??s attraction to men decreased significantly when men flirted for fun. Overall, the results provide mixed support for both theories.     

Alaskan Gay Males’ Couple Experiences of Societal Non-Support: Coping Through Families of Choice and Therapeutic Means

Trends in the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field show that gay men access therapy at a rate two to four times greater than their heterosexual counterparts. Thus, MFTs must be prepared to meet the needs of such clientele. Little research has been conducted on male–male couple experiences and less has been conducted in Alaska. In this qualitative study involving eleven participants we explored societal experiences and coping strategies of Alaskan male–male couples. Themes demonstrated more non-supportive than supportive experiences, the use of families of choice as the primary means of coping, and mixed therapeutic experiences.     

The Role of Masculinity/Femininity, Values, and Occupational Value Affordances in Shaping Young Men��s and Women��s Occupational Choices

Gender differences in occupational values have been well-established, yet little research has examined the predictive qualities of individual difference variables such as self-perceived masculinity/femininity on values and these constructs?? predictive role in the traditionality and perceived value affordances of future occupations??or the values persons expect a job to fulfill. Undergraduates (185 males, 401 females) from the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States reported their occupational values, self-perceived masculinity/femininity, expected occupations, and the perceived value affordances of these jobs. Results indicated significant relationships among self-perceived masculinity/femininity, value endorsements, and the perceptions of value affordances. Results also indicated some differences among the three subsamples as well as gender differences across subsamples. Also, value endorsements mediated the relationships between self-perceived masculinity/femininity and traditionality and self-perceived masculinity/femininity and perceived value affordances. Thus, the values associated with jobs and personal value endorsements are important variables in career choice. The implications of these findings are discussed, and it is suggested that perceptions of occupational value affordances may be an entry point for intervention when trying to reduce occupational gender segregation.     

Lack of sleep and unethical conduct

We draw from the Ego Depletion model and research on sleep physiology to predict a relationship between lack of sleep and individuals’ unethical behavior. Laboratory studies showed that sleep quantity is positively related to self-control resources and negative associated with unethical behavior. In a cross-sectional field study examining unethical behavior in a variety of work settings, low levels of sleep, and low perceived quality of sleep, were both positively related to unethical behavior as rated by the supervisor, and cognitive fatigue mediated the influence of sleep quantity. In an experience sampling field study, we found similar effects within-individuals. We discuss the role of lost sleep in better understanding unethical behavior in organizations.     

Teachers’ tears and the affective geography of the classroom

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the study of emotion within geography; the ways in which particular sites can evoke different feelings and how social relations are mediated by the affectivity of specific spatialities. Through an examination of what provoked a number of teachers to shed tears as they were being interviewed about their practice, this article contributes to this field of enquiry. Rather than viewing the tears as simply a sign of emotion, a reaction to the demands of the profession and the work teachers do – in this case teaching children in the early years of school – they are explored as an indication of the intensity of the teacher–student relation and the ethics of care these teachers embodied as a result of the interaffectivity of the spaces in which they taught. The article, therefore, makes a distinction between emotion and affect, exploring the corporeality of affective engagement in space as opposed to the more mindful experience of emotion. In doing this it also considers what a study of affect and space might offer current perspectives on pedagogic practice and the role of the teacher in contemporary classrooms.     

The importance of response type to the relationship between temporal order and numerical magnitude

Time, number, and space may be represented in the brain by a common set of cognitive/neural mechanisms. In support of this conjecture, Schwarz and Eiselt (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 35, 989-1004, 2009) found that numerically smaller digits were perceived to occur earlier than larger digits, and they concluded that this difference reflected faster processing of smaller numbers. This difference, however, could have been related to a response bias, whereby participants map responses of "which first" onto the "first" number along the mental number line. In Experiment 1, participants made temporal order judgements between digits presented to the left or to the right. The point of subjective simultaneity was shifted so that the 9 had to be presented before the 2 in order for simultaneity to be perceived. This difference could reflect either faster processing of the 2 or a response bias. Experiments 2a and 2b eliminated response biases by using simultaneity judgements, which have no logical stimulus mapping. Both of the latter experiments established that the 2 was not processed faster than the 9. Although the present results relate specifically to numerical magnitude and temporal order associations, they also have broader implications. Other studies have reported associations between dimensions such as size, duration, and number and have attributed these to parietal mechanisms. Such associations, however, may also be an artefact of response biases.     

Recollection is impaired by the modification of interpretation bias

The interpretation paradigm of cognitive-bias modification (CBM-I) was modified with instructions used in process-dissociation procedures for the purpose of investigating processes contributing to performance on the transfer task. In Experiment 1, nonanxious students were trained to interpret ambiguous situations in either a negative or benign way (or they read nonambiguous scenarios). They were then asked to respond to new ambiguous situations, in the same way as contextually similar analogues during training, or to respond differently. Benign training proactively impaired memory for negative outcomes. This effect was replicated by anxious students in Experiment 2 and discussed with respect to the assumptions underlying process-dissociation procedures and directions for future research.     

Inhibition and exuberance in preschool classrooms: associations with peer social experiences and changes in cortisol across the preschool year

Associations between behavioral inhibition and activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system, a stress-sensitive neuroendocrine system indexed by salivary cortisol, have varied widely across studies. In the current study, we examined the role of peer social experiences in moderating patterns of association between inhibition/risk-aversion and cortisol reactivity. As expected based on previous research, preschool children (N = 165, 78 boys, 87 girls, 3.0-5.0 years) had significantly different social experiences in their preschool classrooms depending on temperament. Highly inhibited/risk-averse children were less socially integrated, less dominant, and less involved in aggressive encounters than both average and highly exuberant/risk-seeking children, but they were no more likely to be peer rejected. Highly exuberant children were more dominant, exhibited anger more often, and had friendships characterized by higher conflict. Cortisol levels fell from fall to spring for average and highly exuberant children but not for highly inhibited children. Unexpectedly, for highly inhibited children, having friends and being more dominant and popular than other highly inhibited children was associated with increasing cortisol levels over the school year. In contrast, highly exuberant children who were less socially integrated than other highly exuberant children maintained higher cortisol levels. Results indicate that the types of social experiences that affect stress-responsive biological systems may differ markedly for highly inhibited and highly exuberant children.     

Effects of interviewer behavior on accuracy of children's responses

Previous research has shown that certain interviewer behaviors can evoke inaccurate answers by children. In the current study, we examined the effects of approving and disapproving statements on the accuracy of 3 children's answers to questions in an interview (Experiment 1). We then evaluated 3 questioning techniques that may be used by interviewers during a forensic interview in which a child provides eyewitness testimony (Experiment 2). All participants responded with more inaccurate answers when approving statements followed inaccurate information and disapproving statements followed accurate information in Experiment 1. During Experiment 2, 1 participant responded most inaccurately when she was requestioned after providing an initial answer, whereas the remaining 2 participants responded most inaccurately when the interviewer provided cowitness information and suggestive questions.     

The Contribution of Deficits in Emotional Clarity to Stress Responses and Depression

This research investigated the contribution of deficits in emotional clarity to children's socioemotional adjustment. Specifically, this study examined the proposal that deficits in emotional clarity are associated with maladaptive interpersonal stress responses, and that maladaptive interpersonal stress responses act as a mechanism linking deficits in emotional clarity to childhood depressive symptoms. Participants included 345 3(rd) graders (M age = 8.89, SD = .34) assessed at two waves, approximately one year apart; youth completed self-report measures of emotional clarity, responses to interpersonal stress, and depressive symptoms. Results supported the hypothesized process model linking deficits in emotional clarity, maladaptive interpersonal stress responses, and depressive symptoms, adjusting for prior depressive symptoms. Findings have implications for theories of emotional competence and for depression-intervention efforts aimed at fostering emotional understanding and adaptive interpersonal stress responses.