Facial width-to-height ratio predicts self-reported dominance and aggression in males and females, but a measure of masculinity does not

Recently, associations between facial structure and aggressive behaviour have been reported. Specifically, the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is thought to link to aggression, although it is unclear whether this association is related to a specific dimension of aggression, or to a more generalized concept of dominance behaviour. Similarly, an association has been proposed between facial masculinity and dominant and aggressive behaviour, but, to date, this has not been formally tested. Because masculinity and fWHR are negatively correlated, it is unlikely that both signal similar behaviours. Here, we thus tested these associations and show that: (i) fWHR is related to both self-reported dominance and aggression; (ii) physical aggression, verbal aggression and anger, but not hostility are associated with fWHR; (iii) there is no evidence for a sex difference in associations between fWHR and aggression; and (iv) the facial masculinity index does not predict dominance or aggression. Taken together, these results indicate that fWHR, but not a measure of facial masculinity, cues dominance and specific types of aggression in both sexes.This research was supported by the Leverhulme Trust (F00182/BB)

Extraction of visual motion information for the control of eye and head movement during head-free pursuit

We investigated how effectively briefly presented visual motion could be assimilated and used to track future target motion with head and eyes during target disappearance. Without vision, continuation of eye and head movement is controlled by internal (extra-retinal) mechanisms, but head movement stimulates compensatory vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) responses that must be countermanded for gaze to remain in the direction of target motion. We used target exposures of 50–200 ms at the start of randomised step-ramp stimuli, followed by >400 ms of target disappearance, to investigate the ability to sample target velocity and subsequently generate internally controlled responses. Subjects could appropriately grade gaze velocity to different target velocities without visual feedback, but responses were fully developed only when exposure was >100 ms. Gaze velocities were sustained or even increased during target disappearance, especially when there was expectation of target reappearance, but they were always less than for controls, where the target was continuously visible. Gaze velocity remained in the direction of target motion throughout target extinction, implying that compensatory (VOR) responses were suppressed by internal drive mechanisms. Regression analysis revealed that the underlying compensatory response remained active, but with gain slightly less than unity (0.85), resulting in head-free gaze responses that were very similar to, but slightly greater than, head-fixed. The sampled velocity information was also used to grade head velocity, but in contrast to gaze, head velocity was similar whether the target was briefly or continuously presented, suggesting that head motion was controlled by internal mechanisms alone, without direct influence of visual feedback

High resolution x-ray photoemission study of plasma oxidation of indium-tin-oxide thin film surfaces

The influence of plasma oxidation and other surface pretreatments on the electronic structure of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films has been studied by high resolution x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Plasma oxidation compensates n-type doping in the near surface region and leads to a reduction in the energy of plasmon satellite structure observed in In 3d core level spectra. In parallel, the Fermi level moves down within the conduction band, leading to a shift to low binding energy for both core and valence band photoemission features; and the work function increases by a value that corresponds roughly to the core and valence band binding energy shifts. These observations suggest that the conduction band of ITO is fixed relative to the vacuum level and that changes of work function are dominated by shifts of the Fermi level within the conduction band. © 2000 American Institute of Physics