Mate choice decisions: the role of facial beauty

For most people, facial beauty appears to play a prominent role in choosing a mate. Evidence from research on facial attractiveness indicates that physical beauty is a sexually selected trait mediated, in part, by pubertal facial hormone markers that signal important biological information about the displayer. Such signals would be ineffective if they did not elicit appropriate cognitive and/or emotional responses in members of the opposite sex. In this article, I argue that the effectiveness of these hormonal displays varies with perceivers' brains, which have been organized by the degree of steroid hormone exposure in the uterus, and activated by varying levels of circulating steroids following puberty. I further propose that the methodology used for examining mate choice decisions has general applicability for determining how cognitive and emotional evaluations enter into decision processes.     

Intertrial sources of stimulus control and delayed matching-to-sample performance in humans

Two experiments compared delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) accuracy under 2 procedures in adults with mental retardation. In the trial-unique procedure, every trial in a session contained different stimuli. Thus, comparison stimuli that were correct on one trial were never incorrect on other trials in that session (or vice versa). In the 2-sample DMTS procedure, the same 2 comparison stimuli were presented on each trial, and their function changed quasi-randomly across trials conditional upon the sample stimulus. Across 2 experiments, 7 of 8 subjects showed the highest overall accuracy under the trial-unique procedure, and no subject showed consistently higher accuracy under the 2-sample procedure. Negative, exponential decay functions fit to logit p values showed that this difference was due largely to the steeper delay-mediated decline in sample control for the 2-sample procedure. Stimulus-control analyses indicated that, under the 2-sample procedure, the selection of the comparison stimulus on Trial N was often controlled by the comparison stimulus selection on Trial N-1 rather than the Trial-N sample stimulus. This source of competing stimulus control is not present in trial-unique procedures. Experiment 2 manipulated intertrial interval duration. There was a small but consistent increase in accuracy as a function of intertrial interval duration under the 2-sample procedure, but not under the trial-unique procedure.     

Exact and resampling probability values for weighted kappa

Permutation procedures to compute exact and resampling probability values for weighted kappa are described. Comparisons with asymptotic probability values demonstrate that exact permutation procedures are advantageous for sparse data sets, whereas resampling permutation procedures are appropriate for both sparse and nonsparse data sets.     

The Importance of Parental Attributions in Families of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Presents a social-cognitive model outlining the role of parental attributions for child behavior in parent–child interactions. Examples of studies providing evidence for the basic model are presented, with particular reference to applications of the model in families of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or oppositional defiant/conduct disordered behavior. Parent or child factors that may moderate the operation of links within the model are suggested, and evidence of such moderator effects is presented. The conceptualization and measurement of parental attributions also are discussed. The limitations of the model and existing evidence, as well as recommendations for future research in this area are presented throughout the paper. The paper concludes with a summary of the clinical implications of the model and research on parental attributions with regards to improving interventions for families of children with attentional and disruptive behavior problems.     

Gender-Based Biases in Occupational Hiring Decisions1

Two studies which investigated gender-based decision making in an occupational setting are reported. Participants judged the suitability of a male or a female applicant with identical résumés for a male-dominated or a female-dominated position. In Study 1. where participants gave their own judgments of the suitability of the applicants for the positions, there was no evidence of gender-based biases. In Study 2. participants were required to take the perspective of the applicant in providing their judgments of suitability. In this experiment, gender-based biases were apparent, with a positive bias toward the male applicant. Results are discussed in terms of occupational stereotyping and subtle sexism.     

Distinguishing between applied research and practice

Behavior-analytic research is often viewed along a basic-applied continuum of research goals and methods. The applied portion of this continuum has evolved in ways that combine applied research and service delivery. Although these two facets of applied behavior analysis should be closely related, more clearly distinguishing between them, particularly in how we conceptualize and conduct applied research, may enhance the continuing development of each. This differentiation may improve the recruitment and training of graduate students.     

Psychological testing and pilot licensing

This article reviews contemporary trends in the psychological testing of pilots. It is written in the particular context of draft European Joint Aviation Authorities licensing proposals which, in certain circumstances, envisage psychological testing for pilot licensing purposes. The article aims to clarify issues relating to the validity, reliability, and value of pilot psychological testing in this particular context. It is first suggested that the entire domain is characterized by terminological and methodological confusion. The economic and other benefits of psychological testing are contrasted with the potential risks, including abuse and the use of tests in circumstances for which they were never designed. Reference also is made to cultural differences that potentially may impact on the practical realities of psychological testing--especially within the European context, where the debate is presently at its most intense.