Let the Games Begin
Ross O'Hara et al.
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract: Early sexual debut is associated with risky sexual behavior and an increased risk of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections later in life. The relations among early movie sexual exposure (MSE), sexual debut, and risky sexual behavior in adulthood (i.e., multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use) were examined in a longitudinal study of U.S. adolescents. MSE was measured using the Beach method, a comprehensive procedure for media content coding. Controlling for characteristics of adolescents and their families, analyses showed that MSE predicted age of sexual debut, both directly and indirectly through changes in sensation seeking. MSE also predicted engagement in risky sexual behaviors both directly and indirectly via early sexual debut. These results suggest that MSE may promote sexual risk taking both by modifying sexual behavior and by accelerating the normal rise in sensation seeking during adolescence.
----------------------
Men's social status and attractiveness: Women's receptivity to men's date requests
Nicolas Guéguen & Lubomir Lamy Swiss
Journal of Psychology, July 2012, Pages 157-160
Abstract: Research has found that, for long-term dating, women value men with greater financial resources and higher status, while for short-term dating they value men with greater physical attractiveness. However, there are discrepant results for both long- and short-term dating. As most of the previous studies used only questionnaires, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate women's receptivity to men's date requests. Young male confederates who ostensibly had high, middle, or low incomes, depending on the experimental condition, asked young women walking down the street for their phone number. We found that men's financial resources were positively associated with compliance with their request. Evolutionary theory proposing that women select men with greater resources for them and their offspring is used to explain the results.
----------------------
It's Not Just Lunch: Extra-Pair Commensality Can Trigger Sexual Jealousy
Kevin Kniffin & Brian Wansink
PLoS ONE, July 2012
Abstract: Do people believe that sharing food might involve sharing more than just food? To investigate this, participants were asked to rate how jealous they (Study 1) - or their best friend (Study 2) - would be if their current romantic partner were contacted by an ex-romantic partner and subsequently engaged in an array of food- and drink-based activities. We consistently find - across both men and women - that meals elicit more jealousy than face-to-face interactions that do not involve eating, such as having coffee. These findings suggest that people generally presume that sharing a meal enhances cooperation. In the context of romantic pairs, we find that participants are attuned to relationship risks that extra-pair commensality can present. For romantic partners left out of a meal, we find a common view that lunch, for example, is not "just lunch."
----------------------
Ashley Thompson & Lucia O'Sullivan
Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2012, Pages 949-957
Abstract: Theory and research emphasize differences in men's and women's sexual and romantic attitudes, concluding that men have stronger preferences for sexual than romantic stimuli as compared to women. However, most of the research on gender differences have relied on self-reports, which are plagued by problems of social desirability bias. The current study assessed young men' s and women's implicit attitudes toward sexual and romantic stimuli to test whether, in fact, men have a stronger preference for sexual over romantic stimuli compared to women. We also assessed associations between implicit and explicit attitudes, as well as sex role ideology and personality. College students (68 men and 114 women) completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) that assessed strengths of associations of sexual and romantic stimuli to both pleasant and unpleasant conditions. Results revealed that both men and women more strongly associated romantic images to the pleasant condition than they associated the sexual images to the pleasant condition. However, as predicted, women had a stronger preference toward romantic versus sexual stimuli compared to men. Our study challenges a common assumption that men prefer sexual over romantic stimuli. The findings indicate that measures of implicit attitudes may tap preferences that are not apparent in studies relying on self-reported (explicit) attitudes.
----------------------
Michael Frederick Evolutionary
Psychology, Spring 2012, Pages 342-351
Abstract: Early development can have long-term effects on physiology and behavior. While severe disturbances predictably lead to dysfunction, recent work in humans and animals has led to a growing appreciation for the more subtle ways in which early conditions can modulate behavioral tendencies later in life. Life history theory predicts that early cues signaling a stressful or suboptimal environment might lead an organism to adopt a strategy favoring short-term gains and early reproduction. Fifty college men reported their birth weight, completed the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Self-Report Scale, and answered a series of questions about their sexual history and attitudes towards short-term sexual encounters. Lower birth weights were associated with higher scores on the ADHD scale (r = -.352; p ≤ .05) and more favorable attitudes towards casual sex (r = -.456; p ≤ 0.001). There was a significant interaction between birth weight and casual sex favorability in predicting number of sexual partners (F1,46 = 4.994; p ≤ .05). This suggests that, although men who are smaller at birth may otherwise be at a disadvantage in reproductive terms, they may offset their reduced fitness by being more willing to engage in casual sex.
----------------------
Religion, Race, Social Class, and Gender Differences in Dating and Hooking Up among College Students
Ted Brimeyer & William Smith
Sociological Spectrum, September/October 2012, Pages 462-473
Abstract: Students at a mid-size state university in the Southeast were surveyed to examine religion, race, social class, and gender differences in dating and hooking up. Our analyses revealed that dating and hooking up coexist on campus and most students defined hooking up as a sexual encounter. Race impacted dating but the other demographics, social class and gender were not significant for either dating or hooking up. Conservative Protestants hooked up less than Catholics and other Protestants. Seniors have dated and hooked up more than other students, especially freshmen. How students define hooking up impacts their probability of hooking up and their feelings after hooking up also have an effect.
----------------------
Women's body movements are a potential cue to ovulation
Bernhard Fink, Nadine Hugill & Benjamin Lange
Personality and Individual Differences, October 2012, Pages 759-763
Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that the concept of ‘concealed ovulation' in women should be reconsidered, as there appear to be certain behavioural, visual, olfactory, and vocal cues that serve as indirect cues to female fertility. Here we test the hypothesis that men are able to discern fertile from non-fertile women based on their dance and gait movements. Digital videos of dances and gaits of 48 heterosexual women, aged 19-33 years, were recorded twice, once in the late follicular phase, and once in the mid-luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Short video clips comprising movement silhouettes of dances and gaits were judged on attractiveness by a total of 200 men. Dances and gaits recorded in the late follicular were rated significantly more attractive compared to recordings in the mid-luteal phase. We suggest that (i) menstrual cycle effects on women's body movements exist, and (ii) men are sensitive to these effects, as they expressed a stronger preference (via attractiveness judgments) for women's body movements at times of peak fertility. Our data add body movements to the list of features that show systematic changes across the menstrual cycle and support the assertion that men are able to detect cues of female fertility.
----------------------
Matthew Larson & Gary Sweeten
Criminology, August 2012, Pages 605-636
Abstract: Recent studies have directed attention to the nature of romantic involvement and its implications for offending over the life course. However, this body of research has overlooked a defining aspect of nonmarital romantic relationships: Most come to an end. By drawing on insights from general strain theory, the age-graded theory of informal social control, and research on delinquent peer exposure, we explore the impact of romantic dissolution on offending and substance use during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Using data from the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we arrive at three general conclusions: 1) Experiencing a breakup is directly related to a range of antisocial outcomes; 2) the effect of a breakup is dependent on post-breakup relationship transitions; and 3) a breakup is associated with increases in offending and substance use among males and in substance use among females. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for the future of research on romantic involvement and crime over the life course.
----------------------
Joseph L. Nedelec & Kevin Beaver
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, August 2012, Pages 329-345
Abstract: There has been a great deal of interest in examining the evolutionary underpinnings to human behaviors, including antisocial behaviors. Very little of this research, however, has seeped into mainstream criminology. The present study seeks to take a cautious step in addressing that gap by examining the role certain evolutionary constructs play in the association between sexual behaviors and antisocial conduct. Analysis of data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that for males and females sexual involvement predicted delinquent involvement both concurrently and longitudinally. Furthermore, items derived from evolutionary psychology, including physical attractiveness, physical maturity, and perceptions about life certainty, predicted sexual involvement for males and females. Our study represents one example of the various ways in which evolutionary explanations can be integrated into criminological theory and research.
----------------------
Human Trafficking and Regulating Prostitution
Samuel Lee & Petra Persson
NYU Working Paper, July 2012
Abstract: The effect of prostitution laws on human trafficking and voluntary prostitution is subject to debate. We argue theoretically that neither legalization nor criminalization can simultaneously protect voluntary prostitutes and unambiguously reduce trafficking. We propose a novel, "hybrid" policy that achieves both objectives and restores the free market outcome that arises in the absence of trafficking. If a regulator aims to eradicate all prostitution instead, the optimal policy criminalizes all johns. Criminalizing prostitutes is ineffective and unjust because it fails to eradicate trafficking and penalizes victims. We consider cross-border trafficking, sex tourism, social norms, and political support for prostitution laws. The model predicts that the female-male income ratio is a key determinant of what share of prostitutes is trafficked, the consequences of prostitution laws, and the political will to enact or enforce them.
----------------------
Tianyuan Li
Social Psychological and Personality Science, forthcoming
Abstract: When people are more committed to a relationship, do they become more vulnerable or more resilient to the impacts of negative interactions with the partner? Although most studies emphasize the positive role of commitment in romantic relationship, the answer to the above question may differ in the short term versus in the long term. We conducted a 14-day daily diary study and a 7-month follow-up with 100 participants who are currently in a serious romantic relationship. Results revealed the paradoxical short-term and long-term effects of commitment. Commitment to the relationship intensified both the short-term detrimental effect and the long-term beneficial effect of negative interactions on relationship satisfaction. Personal stress was found to partially explain the short-term effects of negative interactions and commitment. When people become committed to a relationship, they are more vulnerable to the impacts of negative interactions in the short term but more resilient to the impacts in the long run.
----------------------
Kelly Koo et al.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2012, Pages 1005-1014
Abstract: Asian Americans have been understudied with respect to sexuality and rape and its contributory factors. Some attitudinal research has shown that Asian American college males tend to hold more rape-supportive beliefs than their White counterparts. Generally, this research treats ethnicity as a proxy for culture rather than examining specific facets of culture per se. The current study incorporated measures of misogynistic beliefs, acculturation, and ethnic identity to investigate these ethnic differences in rape-supportive attitudes. White (n = 222) and Asian American (n = 155) college men read an acquaintance rape vignette and evaluated it on four judgments: how much they blamed the perpetrator and the victim, how credible they viewed the victim' s refusal, and to what degree they defined the event as rape. Consistent with previous research, Asian American men made more rape-supportive judgments than Whites. This relationship was partially mediated by misogynistic beliefs for all judgments except the extent to which they defined the vignette as rape. Among Asian Americans, acculturation was negatively associated with all four rape vignette judgments above and beyond generational status, and ethnic identity was positively associated with two of the four judgments above and beyond acculturation and generational status. These findings suggest that cultural constructs are relevant to understanding rape-supportive attitudes among Asian American men, and may be useful for promoting culturally enhanced theoretical models of rape and sexual assault prevention efforts, as well as a deeper understanding of cultural influences on sexuality.
----------------------
Acculturation, Gender Disparity, and the Sexual Behavior of Asian American Youth
Yuying Tong
Journal of Sex Research, forthcoming
Abstract: Asian American youth are less likely to be sexually active than adolescents from other ethnic groups; however, with acculturation, they may adopt the more liberal sexual norms of American society. Moreover, owing to differing parental expectations for sons and daughters about sexuality, gender disparity might exist in the adoption of American sexual norms. This article used the proportional hazards model and the generalized estimating equations Poisson model to examine how acculturation influences the initiation of sexual intercourse and the number of sexual partners. The results show that acculturation leads to more liberal sexual mores among Asian American youth. However, despite what might be expected from the sexual double standard, the models show that more acculturated females, as indicated by their use of English at home, had an earlier onset of sexual intercourse and a higher number of sexual partners. This is the opposite of what would be predicted by the sexual double standard theory. This might be due to the fact that Asian females tend to be more socially accepted by the host society than Asian males. Information on partners shows that Asian American females have more diversified racial backgrounds than their male counterparts. They are also more likely to have older sexual partners.
----------------------
Age and Sexual Assault in Correctional Facilities: A Blocked Opportunity Approach
Richard Felson, Patrick Cundiff & Noah Painter-Davis
Criminology, forthcoming
Abstract: We use data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to examine the effects of age on the risk of sexual and physical assault in prisons and jails. Our evidence suggests that male inmates of all ages tend to sexually assault young men. The preference for the young is much stronger for sexual than for physical assault, which suggests that the young are sexually assaulted because of their sexual attractiveness rather than because of their vulnerability. We argue that the strong relationship between sexual attractiveness and age reduces opportunities for consensual sex among older inmates. As a result of blocked opportunities for consensual sex, older men are much more likely to commit sexual assault than one would expect, given the general tendency of young men to be more violent. Thus, the age-attractiveness relationship can parsimoniously explain the contrasting age patterns one observes for offenders and victims.
----------------------
Katie Brooks Biello et al.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, forthcoming
Background: Determining the underlying causes of racial disparities in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is important. In the USA, rates of the most common STIs range from 5 to 20 times higher for African-Americans compared to Caucasians, and the health consequences of STIs can be serious. Residential racial segregation results in very different contexts for individuals and may be an important determinant of sexual risk. The purpose of this study was to examine how segregation and race interact to impact the age trajectory of sexual risk behaviours.
Methods: Using 11 years of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (1997-2007) and 2000 Census data, the authors performed three-level hierarchical linear regression to examine the associations between hypersegregation, race and a sexual risk behaviour index among black and white non-Hispanic adolescents as they transition to adulthood.
Results: Through most of the teenage years, African-Americans are at higher sexual risk than Caucasians. However, by age 19, Caucasians are at higher risk. Hypersegregation was not associated with increased sexual risk index score on average and did not impact the trajectory of the race-sexual risk association.
Conclusions: The authors did not find any evidence that hypersegregation was associated with the sex risk index or that it modified the race-sex risk association as individuals got older. Future studies should examine whether segregation is associated with other causes of STI/HIV acquisition risk, such as sexual network patterns.
----------------------
Different cues of personality and health from the face and gait of women
Robin Kramer et al.
Evolutionary Psychology, Spring 2012, Pages 271-295
Abstract: Redundant cues for attractiveness in humans have been identified, but the idea of multiple systems displaying different socially-relevant traits has yet to be extensively examined. We compared the accuracy with which observers could identify socially-relevant information of female targets, both from static images of their faces, and from point-light displays of their gait. Perception of extraversion was at chance. However, agreeableness and sociosexuality were more accurately perceived from the face than gait, while physical health showed the opposite pattern. This double dissociation suggests different information can be carried in different modalities. In addition, partial correlation analyses suggested that even when both modalities allowed accurate trait identification, the information content was different. Our results demonstrate that cues of different socially-relevant traits are communicated more effectively through different modalities, and these modality-specific cues contain distinctive information, supporting a "multiple messages" hypothesis.
----------------------
Women Bar Drinkers' Discussions About Birth Control and Risky Sexual Behavior
Kristine Levonyan-Radloff, Kathleen Parks & Lorraine Collins
Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2012, Pages 987-993
Abstract: This study evaluated how birth control discussions prior to sexual activity affected condom use in a sample of 225 young women bar drinkers. The use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and partner type also were assessed. Data were collected through daily reports and qualitative interviews over 12 weeks. A total of 1671 sexual events were reported (M = 7.4 events per participant), of which 64.7% (n = 1081) did not involve condom use. Discussions of birth control occurred prior to 10.9% (n = 183) of all sexual events. These discussions were more likely to be initiated by the woman and to occur when AOD had been used. Thematic analysis revealed four common themes: confirmation of the need to use condoms, confirmation of oral/hormonal contraceptive use, use of sufficient birth control, and discrepant condom use. The discussions reduced rates of risky sex when the sexual partner was more intimate (i.e., boyfriend/dating partner), regardless of AOD use and when the sexual partner was a friend or ex-partner and no AOD were used. The thematic analysis suggested that pregnancy prevention was a stronger motivation for discussing condom use, rather than risk of contracting an STI. Given the substantial rate of high risk partners, history of STIs, and limited amount of time women reported knowing "regular" partners, we suggest that interventions designed to reduce risky sex should be tailored to increase women's awareness of STI and pregnancy risk when under the influence of AOD, and promote condom use regardless of partner type.
----------------------
Candice Dunstan & Annukka Lindell
Cognition & Emotion, Summer 2012, Pages 907-915
Abstract: Though the left cheek appears more emotive, perceptions of attractiveness vary with gender. For the first time, this study assessed the relationship between perceptions of emotion (happiness) and attractiveness in naturalistic photographic portraits. One hundred ninety-two participants (63 male; 129 female) viewed pairs of left and right cheek poses, and made a forced-choice decision indicating which image appeared (a) more emotive and (b) more attractive (order counterbalanced). Half the images were mirror-reversed to control for perceptual biases. Results indicated a striking gender difference: for males, the left cheek appears both more emotive and more attractive; for females, preferences are subject to stronger perceptual influences, with the right cheek bias for emotion and attractiveness reversing to a left cheek bias when images are mirror-reversed. These findings suggest that if you want to show the world your "best side", men should lead with the left but for women, the right cheek is right.
----------------------
What is more important for prostitute price? Physical appearance or risky sex behavior?
Hung-Hao Chang & Yungho Weng
Economics Letters, November 2012, Pages 480-483
Abstract: Using a unique random survey of prostitutes in Taipei city of Taiwan, this study investigates the association between obesity, condom uses and prostitutes' price. Results show that overweight prostitutes charge less for their services. However, prostitutes charge more for performing risky sex regardless of the weight status. By further looking at weight and height, we found that the price of prostitutes is only associated with weight.
----------------------
Rodrigo Velezmoro, Charles Negy & Jose Livia
Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2012, Pages 1015-1025
Abstract: The current generation of college students commonly uses the Internet for myriad sexually-related purposes. Yet, it has been suggested that usage of the Internet for sexual purposes might lead to psychological problems. In this study, undergraduate students from a public university in the U.S. (n = 320) and Peru (n = 251) completed questionnaires addressing their online sexual activity (OSA), psychological adjustment, and family environment and communication. Results indicated that Peruvians used the Internet significantly more than U.S. students to view sexually-explicit material (SEM), find sexual partners, and search for sex-related information. Men, irrespective of nationality, used the Internet to view SEM significantly more than women. Social support, religiosity, and erotophilia were found to moderate the relations between nationality and OSA. In absolute terms, both national groups, on average, engaged in OSA a relatively low number of hours each week. Further, no differences were found in maladjustment between those who engage in OSA and those who do not, suggesting that concerns over OSA are probably unwarranted.