Will They Do It Again? Predicting Sex-Offense Recidivism

This article reviews the empirical research on the prediction of reoffending among sexual offenders. The major predictors of sexual-offense recidivism are factors related to sexual deviance (e.g., deviant sexual preferences, previous sex crimes) and, to a lesser extent, criminal lifestyle (e.g., antisocial personality disorder, total number of prior offenses). The factors that predict general recidivism among sex offenders are the same as the factors that predict general recidivism among nonsexual criminals (e.g., juvenile delinquency, prior violent offenses). Given that there are special predictors of sexual recidivism, evaluators should consider separately the risk for sexual and nonsexual recidivism.     

A Regional Study of Risk Factors for Drug Abuse and Delinquency: Sex and Racial Differences

Many juveniles are at high risk for delinquency and drug abuse by virtue of the characteristics of their neighborhoods, which are often economically impoverished, socially unstable, physically neglected, and rife with crime, drug use, and drug selling. However, a significant proportion of these youth do not engage in deviant behavior, while others participate to varying degrees. This study examined what factors discriminate between high-risk youth who do and who do not exhibit deviant behavior. Self-reported measures of several attitudes and behaviors known to correlate with drug abuse and delinquency were assessed in relation to reports of property offenses, person offenses, drug use, and drug selling. Additional analyses were conducted to distinguish between sex and racial groups to further qualify the relationships between deviant behaviors and attitudes. The most notable finding was that types of deviance that primarily involve material and monetary gain may be largely influenced by relationships with significant others, while deviance with potentially harmful consequences to both self and others are influenced largely by personal attitudes. Examination of individual variables showed that negative peer influences and positive attitudes toward fighting significantly increased the likelihood of reporting involvement in three of the four deviance measures, and that positive relationship with the father and prosocial values were inversely related to two of the behavioral deviance measures. There were very few differences in significant predictors of deviance for males versus females. Several self-reported attitudes and behaviors distinguished African Americans from Hispanics and Whites, even though Whites were reportedly responsible for a higher incidence of deviant behaviors.     

Sex and the Statehouse: The Law and the American Same‐Sex Marriage Debate

Abstract : Same‐sex marriage remains a point of contention in American politics. The recent history of this conflict suggests that the Court's attempt to frame issues of sexual politics through paradigms of the right to choose and the tolerance principle, and constitutional ‘liberty’ and ‘equality’ cases raises difficult questions of justice. This article proposes that a Lutheran response, grounded in an understanding of the orders of creation, might interrogate these assumptions, particularly about the appropriate reach of government in sexual and family matters.     

Self- and other-estimates of multiple abilities in Britain and Turkey: a cross-cultural comparison of subjective ratings of intelligence

This study is part of a programmatic research effort into the determinants of self-assessed abilities. It examined cross-cultural differences in beliefs about intelligence and self- and other-estimated intelligence in two countries at extreme ends of the European continent. In all, 172 British and 272 Turkish students completed a three-part questionnaire where they estimated their parents', partners' and own multiple intelligences (Gardner (10) and Sternberg (3)). They also completed a measure of the 'big five' personality scales and rated six questions about intelligence. The British sample had more experience with IQ tests than the Turks. The majority of participants in both groups did not believe in sex differences in intelligence but did think there were race differences. They also believed that intelligence was primarily inherited. Participants rated their social and emotional intelligence highly (around one standard deviation above the norm). Results suggested that there were more cultural than sex differences in all the ratings, with various interactions mainly due to the British sample differentiating more between the sexes than the Turks. Males rated their overall, verbal, logical, spatial, creative and practical intelligence higher than females. Turks rated their musical, body-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence as well as existential, naturalistic, emotional, creative, and practical intelligence higher than the British. There was evidence of participants rating their fathers' intelligence on most factors higher than their mothers'. Factor analysis of the ten Gardner intelligences yield two clear factors: cognitive and social intelligence. The first factor was impacted by sex but not culture; it was the other way round for the second factor. Regressions showed that five factors predicted overall estimates: sex (male), age (older), test experience (has done tests), extraversion (strong) and openness (strong). Results are discussed in terms of the growing literature in the field.     

Religiosity and Determinants of Safe Sex in Iranian Non-Medical Male Students

This study evaluates the safe sex determinants in college students. In the qualitative section, premarital sex, sex with steady girlfriend and religion’s impact were highlighted. In the quantitative part, the relations between the religiosity score and past sexual activity, attitude, norms, and self-efficacy with regard to sexual abstinence were investigated. Students who had a higher religious score were significantly more likely to have high self-efficacy in refusing sex, and their attitudes supported their abstinence. Additionally, these students were more likely never to have had a sexual relationship. Findings suggest that greater religious involvement is a protective factor in high-risk sexual behavior. An erratum to this article can be found at     

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.     

年龄和性别对气味和词汇的语义识别的不同影响

本研究采用基于人口学特征的大规模取样, 通过线索气味识别测验和词汇测验考察了年龄和性别因素对嗅觉功能和语义知识的影响。1497位健康的成人(35岁~95岁)参与了气味识别和词汇熟练性测验。结果表明年龄对两项测验的成绩都有显著的负面影响, 尽管嗅觉测验的年龄效应更大。女性比男性识别出更多的气味且这种效应与年龄无关, 这进一步证实了先前的观察。本文详细讨论了这些发现的意义。     

The dark triad: Facilitating a short‐term mating strategy in men

This survey (N = 224) found that characteristics collectively known as the Dark Triad (i.e. narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) were correlated with various dimensions of short‐term mating but not long‐term mating. The link between the Dark Triad and short‐term mating was stronger for men than for women. The Dark Triad partially mediated the sex difference in short‐term mating behaviour. Findings are consistent with a view that the Dark Triad facilitates an exploitative, short‐term mating strategy in men. Possible implications, including that Dark Triad traits represent a bundle of individual differences that promote a reproductively adaptive strategy are discussed. Findings are discussed in the broad context of how an evolutionary approach to personality psychology can enhance our understanding of individual differences. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Endocrine Mediators of Masculinization in Female Mammals

ABSTRACT— Most mammal species show traditional patterns of sexual dimorphism (e.g., greater male size and aggression), the proximal mechanism of which involves the male's greater pre- and postnatal exposure to circulating androgens. But in several species, females diverge from the traditional pattern, converging on the male form or even reversing sexual dimorphisms. Such "masculinized" females might show elongation of the clitoris, enhanced body size, and aggressively mediated social dominance over males, and they are interesting case studies for examining the role of androgens in females. This review addresses our understanding of the mediating mechanisms of morphological and behavioral development in both traditional and exceptional mammal species. Although certain lines of evidence implicate testosterone in female masculinization, the role for sex steroids in female development remains unclear. The results call for continued study of both hormonal and nonhormonal mechanisms of sexual differentiation, particularly focused on active processes of feminine development.     

心律失常发生的别差异

临盘床中某些心律失常的发生具有性别差异。女性同男性相比,其平均静息心率快,QT间期长,QRS波群时间短,QRS电压低。女性有更高的病态窦房结综合征、不适当性窦性心动过速、房室结折返性心动过速、右室特发性室速和长QT间期综合征引起的心律失常事件的发生率。而男性房室传导阻滞、颈动脉窦综合征、房颤、旁路导致的室上性心动过速、预激综合征、室颤、猝死、Brugada综合征和触发型室速的发生率高。这些差异有的与心律失常伴发的器质性心脏病男女发生率不同有关,另外性激素对离子通道的功能、表达的影响以及自主神经张力的差异在这些差异的产生中也具有重要作用。了解这些差异对女性心律失常处理具有重要的指导作用。