The role of waist-to-hip ratio in evaluation of female physical attractiveness: Eye-tracker data [Kadinin fiziksel çekiciliginin degerlendirilmesinde bel-kalça-oraninin rolü: Göz-i·zleme sistemi verileri]

This study attempted to investigate the relative role of body weight and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on judgements of female physical attractiveness. The sample has consisted of 50 male and 50 female participants who are reportedly heterosexual with an age range of 18-22 years. Using a self-report technique, the participants judged the 12 threedimensional female figures with different body weight and waist-to-hip ratios for their attractiveness. The participants' visual responses to the figures were recorded to test their judgements of attractiveness empirically. Overally, the Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis indicated that the participants' judgements for attractiveness were mainly based on the WHR dimension. MDS data were reinforced by the data obtained from the eye-tracking system. The descriptive data suggested some sex differentiation in attractiveness ratings of the participants. The eye-tracking data provided clarifying information for these sex differences. The findings were discussed under the illumination of evolutionary hypotheses. Some methodological considerations were elaborated, and a set of resolutions were proposed

Hemispheric asymmetry in expression and perception of happiness [Mutlulugun yüzdeki i·fadesinde ve algilanmasinda hemisferik asimetri]

Hemispheric asymmetries in happiness expression -which has an important role in interpersonal communication and its perception- have been studied using different techniques. However, it is not clear whether the source of the asymmetry is the poser or the observer. In Experiment I, we investigated on which hemiface (right/left) the expression of happiness was better identified. Subjects evaluated right-sided happy chimeric faces as more expressive. In Experiment II, we examined whether the source of the bias was the observer's hemispheric asymmetry or the poser's facial asymmetry. Stimuli were briefly presented unilaterally, either in the left visual field(LVF)/right hemisphere(RL) or in the right visual field(RVF)/left hemisphere(LH). Faces were recognized faster in LVF condition, but they were evaluated as more expressive in RVF condition. Right-sided happy faces were found to be more expressive in RVF condition. Results indicated LH superiority in the recognition of happy expression and a RH superiority in the duration of facial processing. Additionally findings pointed out a sex difference in subjects' evaluation time and evaluation scores. Men evaluated the stimuli faster in the RH condition than they did in the LH condition; while women evaluated the faces with higher scores in LH than they did in RH condition

Corrigendum: Marital satisfaction, sex, age, marriage duration, religion, number of children, economic status, education, and collectivistic values: Data from 33 countries

Forms of committed relationships, including formal marriage arrangements between men and women, exist in almost every culture (Bell, 1997). Yet, similarly to many other psychological constructs (Henrich et al., 2010), marital satisfaction and its correlates have been investigated almost exclusively in Western countries (e.g., Bradbury et al., 2000). Meanwhile, marital relationships are heavily guided by culturally determined norms, customs, and expectations (for review see Berscheid, 1995; Fiske et al., 1998). While we acknowledge the differences existing both between- and within-cultures, we measured marital satisfaction and several factors that might potentially correlate with it based on self-report data from individuals across 33 countries. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the raw data available for anybody interested in further examining any relations between them and other country-level scores obtained elsewhere

The Associations of Dyadic Coping and Relationship Satisfaction Vary between and within Nations: A 35-Nation Study

Objective: Theories about how couples help each other to cope with stress, such as the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping, suggest that the cultural context in which couples live influences how their coping behavior affects their relationship satisfaction. In contrast to the theoretical assumptions, a recent meta-analysis provides evidence that neither culture, nor gender, influences the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction, at least based on their samples of couples living in North America and West Europe. Thus, it is an open questions whether the theoretical assumptions of cultural influences are false or whether cultural influences on couple behavior just occur in cultures outside of the Western world

Marital satisfaction, sex, age, marriage duration, religion, number of children, economic status, education, and collectivistic values: Data from 33 countries

Forms of committed relationships, including formal marriage arrangements between men and women, exist in almost every culture (Bell, 1997). Yet, similarly to many other psychological constructs (Henrich et al., 2010), marital satisfaction and its correlates have been investigated almost exclusively in Western countries (e.g., Bradbury et al., 2000). Meanwhile, marital relationships are heavily guided by culturally determined norms, customs, and expectations (for review see Berscheid, 1995; Fiske et al., 1998). While we acknowledge the differences existing both between- and within-cultures, we measured marital satisfaction and several factors that might potentially correlate with it based on self-report data from individuals across 33 countries. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the raw data available for anybody interested in further examining any relations between them and other country-level scores obtained elsewhere

The two hemispheres of the avian brain: their differing roles in perceptual processing and the expression of behavior

The hemispheres of the avian brain are specialized to carry out different functions. Since each eye sends its input mainly to the contralateral hemisphere, birds respond differently to stimuli seen with the left eye than they do to stimuli seen with the right eye. The right hemisphere attends to novel stimuli, which easily distract it from ongoing functions. It assumes control in emergency or stressful conditions. The left hemisphere attends to learnt categories and controls behavior in routine, non-stressful situations. This division of function extends to processing of auditory, olfactory and even magnetic stimuli. Evidence for this comes from a number of avian species, and has been shown in both laboratory and field tests. Knowledge of these specializations is relevant to understanding the behavior of birds in the wild since birds respond in different ways to stimuli on their left and right sides (e.g. preferential response to predators and conspecific on the left side and to prey on the right side) and they choose to view different stimuli with the left or right eye. Individual differences in the strength of visual lateralization are determined by exposure of the embryo to light, versus incubation in the dark, and by the levels of steroid hormones in ovo. The importance of these influences on lateralization is discussed in terms of behavior in the natural habitat. The potential importance of hemispheric dominance in the welfare of birds is also considered