Assent and Dissent: Ethical Considerations in Research With Toddlers

In accordance with ethical principles and standards, researchers conducting studies with children are expected to seek assent and respect their dissent from participation. Little attention has been given to assent and dissent in research with toddlers, who have limited cognitive and emotional capabilities. We discuss research with toddlers in the context of assent and dissent and propose guidelines to ensure that research with toddlers still adheres to ethical principles. These guidelines include designing engaging studies, monitoring refusal and distress, and partnering with parents. Research with toddlers requires flexibility and creativity to respect toddlers in the context of their developmental capabilities.     

Nonchildhood Sexual Abuse in Mexican American and Mexican College Students

This study aimed to assess and compare sexual abuse (SA) rates in female and male Mexican American college students (N = 514) and 2 samples of Mexican college students (N = 161 and N = 227). Participants responded to the Sexual Experiences Survey Victim Form (SES-SFV). SA prevalence and frequency rates were compared between sample groups for 3 categories of SA: nonchildhood SA (SA-NC, experienced since age 14), SA experienced in the previous 12 months (SA-12M), and lifetime self-labeled SA (SA-LL, any experience identified as abuse or rape by participants). Higher rates of self-reported SA were consistently found for Mexican versus U.S. samples. However, SA incidence was also consistently higher in older individuals and females; more recently experienced SA was reported at lower rates and with greater gender congruence than more distal SA; and variation between Mexican samples was roughly equal to variation between Mexican and U.S. samples. Findings show cross-national variation in SA rates.     

Case method strategies for teaching sexual ethics to relativists and skeptics

Many undergraduates are culturally shaped to avoid making ethical judgments. They spontaneously adopt relativist and skeptical strategies such as “It all depends,” or “Whose morality?” or “Who's to say?” as ways of fending off the challenge of making moral decisions. The current tsunami that is washing away traditional sexual norms is both a result and a cause of this cultural shift. Case studies can mitigate this decline and help students to grow in both confidence and ability to make good ethical judgments. The case method, used with a Socratic pedagogy, engages imagination and counters the deficits in empathy found in many contemporary students. It moves students toward understanding morality itself. Against skepticism, it assists students in exercising practical reason, culminating in decision. Five cases invite students to overcome extreme relativism, to look for and evaluate relevant differences, and to enter into ethical discussion with other students on the sexual issues they face in their college years.     

A Study of the Impact of Informed Consent Procedures on Participant Responses in Trauma-Related Research

Researchers and ethics board members are often concerned about the possibility of adverse reactions to trauma-related research. While research has shown that participants in trauma-related studies rarely experience adverse reactions, mild short-term emotional distress is common. While a number of protections have been suggested to minimize risks for more vulnerable subgroups of participants, no research to date has tested how modifications to informed consent procedures may affect the data collected and participant reactions to the research. One-hundred and forty-five college students were separated into five conditions with different modifications to the informed consent procedures. Participants completed surveys on trauma experience, posttraumatic stress, coping, and reactions to research participation. The results showed no differences among the conditions on all outcome measures. It appears that modifications to informed consent procedures geared toward minimizing risk do not affect the quality of the data collected nor change reactions to participating in trauma-related research.     

Identifying Attitudes and Behaviors in Intimate Relationships: Psychometric Properties of the Relationship Evaluation and Analysis Link

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Relationship Evaluation and Analysis Link (REAL), a survey that assesses attitudes and behaviors in intimate relationships including Cognitive Complexity, Expressive/Receptive, Intimacy, Negotiative, Sexual, Self-Knowledge, and Separateness. It was designed for individuals in counseling to identify key areas of functioning in intimate relationships. Four hundred and fifty-one volunteers participated from two U.S. universities. A four-week test-retest examined the consistency of responses over time. The scales demonstrated stability over a four-week period. The factor structure yielded eight factors. The REAL is a reliable instrument that can be used for its intended purposes. Future revisions may involve reducing the number of items.     

求偶动机的心理效应

演化心理学认为人类的心理机能受到演化压力的塑造,性选择作为重要的演化动力因素,在人类心理机能的形成过程中扮演着重要角色。与性选择密切相连的求偶动机可以影响包括注意、知觉、记忆、决策及社会行为在内的一系列心理现象和行为,但求偶动机操控方法的混乱及研究过程中对文化和层级选择的忽视制约了这一领域工作的开展。进一步深化相关研究,以行为数据为基础,从神经、激素和基因层面建构立体的研究框架对于揭示背后机制有着重要作用。     

红色更性感:影响因素与进化基础

近10年关于颜色心理效应的研究逐渐聚焦于红色性效应。在人际交互过程中,红色能够在特定情境下提高性吸引力,但受性别和配偶价值影响。这些影响本质上可用动机过程来解释。动物学和心理学的研究都表明,红色性效应更有可能是进化形成的心理适应器,并得到后天强化。未来研究应当克服当前研究方法的不足,探索动机类型、颜色属性和时空特征对红色性效应的影响,并努力应用该效应于产品设计中。     

基于儒家文化的“帝王相”之民间意象的首次探索

本研究通过评价不同性别二态线索和吸引力的面孔图片来考察儒家文化下人们心中帝王面孔形象。采用FaceGen Modeller 3.1操作面孔性别二态线索,并通过PhotoShop CS5合成面孔材料。研究发现:被试认为女性化的男性面孔比男性化的男性面孔更具"帝王相";低吸引力的女性化男性面孔比高吸引力的女性化男性面孔更具"帝王相";不同性别被试之间的评价无显著差异。上述结果显示,在儒家文化影响下,人们偏好具有女性化面孔特点的帝王。