Sex Similarities and Differences in Preferences for Short-Term Mates: What, Whether, and Why

Are there sex differences in criteria for sexual relationships? The answer depends on what question a researcher asks. Data suggest that, whereas the sexes differ in whether they will enter short-term sexual relationships, they are more similar in what they prioritize in partners for such relationships. However, additional data and context of other findings and theory suggest different underlying reasons. In Studies 1 and 2, men and women were given varying “mate budgets ” to design short-term mates and were asked whether they would actually mate with constructed partners. Study 3 used a mate-screening paradigm. Whereas women have been found to prioritize status in long-term mates, they instead (like men) prioritize physical attractiveness much like an economic necessity in short-term mates. Both sexes also show evidence of favoring well-rounded long- and short-term mates when given the chance. In Studies 4 and 5, participants report reasons for having casual sex and what they find physically attractive. For women, results generally support a good genes account of short-term mating, as per strategic pluralism theory (S. W. Gangestad & J. A. Simpson, 2000). Discussion addresses broader theoretical implications for mate preference, and the link between method and theory in examining social decision processes

Diversity in olfactory bulb size in birds reflects allometry, ecology, and phylogeny

The relative size of olfactory bulbs (OBs) is correlated with olfactory capabilities across vertebrates and is widely used to assess the relative importance of olfaction to a species’ ecology. In birds, variations in the relative size of OBs are correlated with some behaviors; however, the factors that have led to the high level of diversity seen in OB sizes across birds are still not well understood. In this study, we use the relative size of OBs as a neuroanatomical proxy for olfactory capabilities in 135 species of birds, representing 21 orders. We examine the scaling of OBs with brain size across avian orders, determine likely ancestral states and test for correlations between OB sizes and habitat, ecology, and behavior. The size of avian OBs varied with the size of the brain and this allometric relationship was for the most part isometric, although species did deviate from this trend. Large OBs were characteristic of more basal species and in more recently derived species the OBs were small. Living and foraging in a semiaquatic environment was the strongest variable driving the evolution of large OBs in birds; olfaction may provide cues for navigation and foraging in this otherwise featureless environment. Some of the diversity in OB sizes was also undoubtedly due to differences in migratory behavior, foraging strategies and social structure. In summary, relative OB size in birds reflect allometry, phylogeny and behavior in ways that parallel that of other vertebrate classes. This provides comparative evidence that supports recent experimental studies into avian olfaction and suggests that olfaction is an important sensory modality for all avian species

Workshop on Criminal law & Procedure - Discussion Group: Vulnerability and the Criminal Justice System

This discussion group will address how the criminal justice system handles vulnerable offenders from the moment they enter the system through the conclusion of their sentences. For purposes of our discussion, the term “vulnerable offender” includes minors; individuals who are mentally, physically or developmentally disabled; those who may be perceived as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender nonconforming; first-time offenders; and political prisoners. Topics for discussion include: the right to counsel for minors, the disabled, and the mentally retarded; the sentencing of juveniles after Graham and Miller; conditions of confinement, including solitary confinement; the role of neuroscience in identifying vulnerable offenders and/or their conditions of confinement; whether sentencing should reflect likely offender hardship; prison violence; and therapeutic jurisprudence