Who Finds Bill Gates Sexy? Creative Mate Preferences as a Function of Cognitive Ability,Personality, and Creative Achievement

Creativity is sexy, but are all creative behaviors equally sexy? We attempted to clarify the role of creativity in mate selection among an ethnically diverse sample of 815 undergraduates. First we assessed the sexual attractiveness of different forms of creativity: ornamental/aesthetic, applied/technological, and everyday/domestic creativity. Both males and females preferred ornamental/aesthetic forms of creativity in a prospective sexual partner than applied/technological and everyday/domestic forms of creativity. Secondly, we assessed the simultaneous prediction of general cognitive ability, personality, divergent thinking, self‐perceptions of creativity, and creative achievement on preferences for different forms of creativity in a prospective sexual partner. The results were generally consistent with assortative mating. The most robust predictors of a preference for applied/technological forms of creativity in a potential sexual partner were intellectual interests and creative achievement in applied/technological domains. In contrast, the most robust predictor of a preference for ornamental/aesthetic forms of creativity was openness to experience. The results suggest that openness to experience and its associated aesthetic, perceptual, and affective aspects are the primary characteristics influencing the sexual attractiveness of a creative display. Further, the results demonstrate the importance of also taking into account individual differences in personality, interests, and creative achievement when considering the sexual attractiveness of different manifestations of creativity.     

Decay theory of immediate memory: From Brown (1958) to today (2014)

This work takes a historical approach to discussing Brown's (1958) paper, “Some Tests of the Decay Theory of Immediate Memory”. This work was and continues to be extremely influential in the field of forgetting over the short term. Its primary importance is in establishing a theoretical basis to consider a process of fundamental importance: memory decay. Brown (1958) established that time-based explanations of forgetting can account for both memory capacity and forgetting of information over short periods of time. We discuss this view both in the context of the intellectual climate at the time of the paper's publication and in the context of the modern intellectual climate. The overarching theme we observe is that decay is as controversial now as it was in the 1950s and 1960s.     

Dissociation of short- and long-term face memory: evidence from long-term recency effects in temporal lobe epilepsy

We tested whether memory deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are better described by a single- or dual-store memory model. To this aim, we analyzed the influence of TLE and proactive interference (PI) on immediate and 24-h long-term recency effects during face recognition in 16 healthy participants and 18 right and 21 left non-surgical TLE patients. PI in healthy participants or TLE erased the long-term recency effect, but left the immediate recency effect unaffected. Although the immediate recency effect was still visible in right TLE patients, the number of detected recency items during immediate recognition was decreased in right TLE compared to left TLE. Right TLE was also related to decreased detection of pre-recency items during delayed recognition compared to left TLE, and decreased detection of pre-recency items during immediate recognition under PI. The results show that the temporal lobes are necessary for the long-term recency effect, but not for the immediate recency effect, and thus speak for a dissociation of short- and long-term memory for faces. Right TLE is related to more severe long-term memory deficits than left TLE and is also related to additional short-term memory deficits for faces.     

Processing spatial-temporal information in recent-onset schizophrenia: the study of short-term memory and its susceptibility to distraction

Memory impairment is a core feature in schizophrenia (SZ). The aim of this study was to investigate short-term memory (STM) and its sensitivity to distraction with visual-spatial material. This study comprised 23 recent-onset SZ patients and 23 healthy controls. The degree of disruption upon recall from interleaving irrelevant items within a sequence of to-be-remembered items-the sandwich effect [Hitch, G. J. (1975). The role of attention in visual and auditory suffix effects. Memory and Cognition, 3, 501-505]-was examined. STM performance, whether in the presence or absence of distraction, was poorer and markedly more vulnerable to disruption in SZ. Our results suggest that processing spatial information in STM is susceptible to interference in SZ.     

Systems-Centered Therapy: A Protocol for Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The systems-centered short-term therapy protocol was adapted and applied in three single case studies with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients in a ten-session individual treatment over a two week period. All three subjects showed substantial improvement and no longer met diagnostic criteria post-treatment. Changes were maintained at follow up both six months and one year later. These results are promising and suggest the importance of further research on SCT as a viable, alternative treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.     

Problem Behavior and Romantic Relationships: Assortative Mating,Behavior Contagion,and Desistance

Antisocial behavior and substance misuse are forms of problem behavior demonstrating considerable continuity over time. Accordingly, problem behavior influences interpersonal contexts across the life course, which may result in the replication of coercive interactions and a problem behavior lifestyle within romantic relationships. Furthermore, theories of self-selection, and associated research, suggest that individuals pick companions compatible with, and supportive of, their behavior, leading to high levels of similarity between romantic partners and the potential reinforcement of problem behavior over time. However, some research suggests that romantic relationships may play a positive role and facilitate desistance from problem behavior. The purpose of this paper is to explore how antisocial behavior and substance use both influence and are influenced by romantic relationships in late adolescence and early adulthood. We first review research regarding the extent of, and processes underlying, partner similarity in problem behavior. Next, we examine how romantic relationships may promote the desistance of problem behavior. Finally, we discuss possible moderators of the association between problem behavior and romantic relationships, as well as limitations, intergenerational implications, and recommended future directions of the reviewed research.     

Reconsidering the two-second decay hypothesis in verbal working memory

A common belief in the study of short-term memory is that the verbal trace decays around two seconds after it is encoded. This belief is typically assumed to follow from the finding that in immediate serial recall, the time required to rapidly articulate a span-length list is around two seconds. Empirically, this belief is in opposition to a broad set of findings across a number of domains that establish mean decay times to be longer than two seconds. Theoretically, the available computational and mathematical models of immediate serial recall do not address this issue directly, because they typically rely on other mechanisms in addition to decay to account for forgetting. As such, they may show that decay times can be longer than two seconds, but they fail to show that they cannot be as short as two seconds. We address the issue directly and set a lower bound on mean trace decay times, even under the limiting assumption that all forgetting is due to trace decay. We do this by presenting a simple item-based model of trace decay that allows us to estimate values of mean trace duration. For a set of words whose span-length lists can be rapidly articulated in about two seconds, the model offers a conservative estimate for their mean decay times of around four seconds. Both the experimental and theoretical evidence show that items in verbal working memory decay considerably slower than the two-second decay hypothesis claims.     

Parent–offspring conflict over mating: The case of short-term mating strategies

Individuals solve problems of reproduction by engaging in long-term and short-term mating. Short-term mating strategies have both costs and benefits, but their costs are higher for parents than they are for offspring. On this basis, three hypotheses are formulated: first, individuals consider short-term mating strategies more acceptable for themselves than for their offspring. Second, parents consider short-term mating strategies less acceptable for their daughters than for their sons. Finally, men consider short-term mating strategies more acceptable than women. To test these hypotheses a within-participants design is employed, whereby sexually mature individuals with children are asked to rate the acceptability of a set of short-term mating strategies for themselves and for their offspring. Evidence from a sample of 295 British parents provides support for all three hypotheses.     

Individual differences in preference for risky behaviors during courtship

Engaging in risky behaviors is a sexual signalling strategy that men use to procure mates. The present study investigates men’s preferences for engaging in risky behaviors (along with women’s preferences for their male partner’s risky behavior) within dating couples. We investigated associations between relationship length, self-perceived attractiveness, sociosexuality orientation, and preference for risky behaviors in a sample of 256 couples. Results indicated that men had stronger preferences for risky behaviors than their partner’s ideal preference. Furthermore, relationship length was associated with a decline in women’s preference for their partner’s risk-taking, but not men’s preference for their own risk-taking. Self-perceived attractiveness was negatively associated with risk preference, and sociosexuality orientation was not directly related to risk preference. Female preferences for less intense male risky behaviors could reflect the need of paternal investment which is required for offspring care. Decreased male sexual signalling could account for lower preferences of risky behaviors in females who are involved in longer lasting romantic relationships.     

Brief dynamic counselling: Making the right choice

Abstract

Brief dynamic counselling has become a frequently practised method of treatment. This paper examines the usefulness of short-term therapy for certain clients and describes the relevant selection criteria. However, it is argued that there exists a real danger to the client should they be inappropriately referred for this work. Demands upon therapy services often mean that therapists are under pressure to have a rapid ‘through-put’ of clients. This may lead to some clients being treated in a way that is unsuitable and inadequate for their needs. It is suggested that, more than being inadequate, such a situation could cause additional harm to the client. Professional assessment is considered to be of vital importance. Case material is included in order to illustrate the difference between clients who are likely to benefit from short-term counselling work and those for whom the longer time duration is an essential part of the therapeutic relationship and process. In terms of therapy service provision, the need for flexibility and the need for availability of a variety of treatments are discussed.