Social Norms' Influence on Gendered Behaviors

Individual variability in engagement in gendered behavior is primarily assumed to be the result of variability in gender roles (i.e., femininity, masculinity; Bem, 1981). However, contextual factors have also been shown to influence behaving in gendered ways (Leszczynski & Strough, 2008; Pickard & Strough, 2003). The current studies sought to explore engagement in gendered behaviors by examining the influence of social norms on gendered behaviors, as well as how those perceptions interact with gender self-concepts (i.e., gendered contingencies of selfworth, self-efficacy for behaving in gendered ways, similarity to others of one's sex) to influence engagement in gendered behaviors. Two studies were conducted in which participant behavior was measured by having them complete tasks with ambiguous gender stereotypes associated with them: pain threshold and endurance. The norms were presented through direct feedback in Study 1 and through behavioral modeling from confederates in Study 2. Each study also examined the moderating effect of gender self-concepts: gendered contingencies of selfworth, self-efficacy for behaving in gendered ways, and similarity to others of one's sex. In study 1, sex differences were found such that men who were told that their sex was superior evidenced elevated pain threshold when compared to men who were not given any gender specific information. Furthermore, similarity to others of one's sex moderated the association. In study 2, direct tests of the effect of presented norms on groups were not found to be significant. However, when controlling for each of the gender self-concepts, individuals who had same-sex superiority demonstrated had significantly higher pain threshold than those who had observed same-sex confederates demonstrating inferior pain threshold and endurance. Additionally, individuals with higher levels of gender self-efficacy were more likely to have the gendered information impact their behavior than individuals with low levels of gender self-efficacy. Overall, social norms were found to have an impact on individuals' engagement in gendered behaviors, although individual personality factors moderated those relationships. The current work shines a light on how gender norms can both heighten or diminish engagement in gendered behaviors, and underscores the need to examine individual differences when exploring the impact of contextual norms

Multi-causational approach to illness in young children: the role of psychological and social factors

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Paradoxical Vestibular Syndrome Secondary to Temporal Bone Osteomyelitis and Chronic Otitis Interna in a Guinea Pig (Cavia Porcellus)

A 3-year-old female intact guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was presented for torticollis and ocular discharge. On examination, the guinea pig had a left head tilt with corneal ulceration and absent palpebral response of the right eye. Computed tomography showed a soft tissue attenuating mass with multifocal mineralization compressing the caudal cerebellum with moderate lysis of the calvarium. On recheck, the disease had progressed to include ataxia and proprioceptive deficits. Systemic antibiotic therapy was initiated but the guinea pig only exhibited a marginal treatment response. Due to poor quality of life, the guinea pig was euthanized. A necropsy was performed and a bony lesion was found within the skull compressing the right cerebellum and temporal lobe. Histopathology revealed suppurative osteomyelitis consistent with severe chronic bacterial otitis interna. Vestibular signs in small exotic companion mammals are a common sequela to otitis interna, often noted ipsilateral to an affected inner ear, however, in this case rare paradoxical vestibular signs were observed. Severe chronic otitis interna may result in bony lysis and proliferation capable of expanding from the inner ear resulting in neurological deficits

Structure of the western Somali Basin

Originally issued as Reference No. 67-38, series later renamed WHOI-. Reprint from Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 72, no. 10, May 1967.The western Somali Basin in the northwestern Indian Ocean is covered by thick deposits of terrigenous sediments. Seismic reflection profiles show, however, the northern and southern parts to be very different. The northern sections is a deep basin filled with thick uniformly stratified sediments. It is enclosed by the continental margin to the west and north, Chain ridge to the east, and shallow basement structure to the south. A change in depth of basement occurs along an approximately east-west line at latitude 3°30'N very near the southern end of Chain ridge. In the southern portion of the basin the basement is shallow, and, immediately south of latitude 3°30'N, it has high relief. Stratified flat-lying sediments fill the basement depressions, and isolated hills formed of basement material rise above the abyssal plain deposits. Farther to the south the abyssal plain becomes very narrow. Gabbro dredged from the southeast slope of Chain ridge has been dated by the potassium-argon method as 89.6 ± 4.5 m.y., which should be considered a minimum age. The evidence suggests that the entire sediment sequence of the northern basin was deposited subsequent to the formation of the ridge. The thin sediment cover of the southern portion of the basin is probably no older than Tertiary.Office of Naval Research under contract Nonr-4029(00) NR 260-101

Have you got the look? Gaze direction affects judgements of facial attractiveness, Vis

Much is known about the attractiveness of physical attributes, such as symmetry and averageness. Here we examine the effect of a social cue, eye-gaze direction, on facial attractiveness. Given that direct gaze signals social engagement, we predicted that faces showing direct gaze would be preferred to faces showing averted gaze. Thirty-two males completed two tasks designed to assess preferences for female faces displaying a neutral expression. Participants were more likely to select the face with direct gaze, when choosing the more attractive face from direct-and avertedgaze versions of the same face. This direct-gaze preference was stronger for highattractive than low-attractive face sets, but was present for both. Attractiveness ratings were also higher for faces with direct than averted gaze. Interestingly, stimulus inversion weakened the preference for inverted faces, which suggests the preference does not simply reflect a bilateral symmetry bias. Keywords: Attractiveness; Eye-gaze direction; Symmetry. Face perception research has traditionally focused upon the influence of physical attributes, particularly symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism on attractiveness (for a comprehensive review

The effects of purchasing alcohol and marijuana among adolescents at-risk for future substance use

BACKGROUND: Among high-risk youth, those who may be at increased risk for adverse alcohol and other drug (AOD) use outcomes may benefit from targeted prevention efforts; how youth acquire AOD may provide an objective means of identifying youth at elevated risk. METHODS: We assessed how youth acquired alcohol and marijuana (purchasing vs. other means), demographics, AOD behaviors/consequences, and environment among adolescents referred to a diversion program called Teen Court (N = 180) at two time points (prior to the program and 180 days from baseline). Participants were predominantly White and Hispanic/Latino(a). RESULTS: In cross-sectional analyses among alcohol and marijuana users, purchasing marijuana was associated with more frequent marijuana use and consequences, time spent around teens who use marijuana, higher likelihood of substance use disorders, and lower resistance self-efficacy compared to non-purchasers. Teens who purchased both alcohol and marijuana experienced similar outcomes to those who purchased only marijuana, and also reported more frequent and higher quantity of drinking, greater alcohol-related consequences, time spent around teens who use other drugs, and prescription drug misuse. Longitudinally, purchasing alcohol and marijuana at baseline was associated with more frequent and higher quantity of drinking compared to non-purchasers at follow-up. Marijuana only purchasers had a greater likelihood of substance use disorders at follow-up compared to non-purchasers. CONCLUSIONS: In an era where drinking is commonplace and attitudes towards marijuana use are becoming more tolerant, it is essential to evaluate how accessibility to AOD and subsequent purchasing behaviors affect youth consumption and intervene accordingly to prevent future consequences

A comprehensive collection of chicken cDNAs

AbstractBirds have played a central role in many biological disciplines, particularly ecology, evolution, and behavior. The chicken, as a model vertebrate, also represents an important experimental system for developmental biologists, immunologists, cell biologists, and geneticists. However, genomic resources for the chicken have lagged behind those for other model organisms, with only 1845 nonredundant full-length chicken cDNA sequences currently deposited in the EMBL databank. We describe a large-scale expressed-sequence-tag (EST) project aimed at gene discovery in chickens (http://www.chick.umist.ac.uk). In total, 339,314 ESTs have been sequenced from 64 cDNA libraries generated from 21 different embryonic and adult tissues. These were clustered and assembled into 85,486 contiguous sequences (contigs). We find that a minimum of 38% of the contigs have orthologs in other organisms and define an upper limit of 13,000 new chicken genes. The remaining contigs may include novel avian specific or rapidly evolving genes. Comparison of the contigs with known chicken genes and orthologs indicates that 30% include cDNAs that contain the start codon and 20% of the contigs represent full-length cDNA sequences. Using this dataset, we estimate that chickens have approximately 35,000 genes in total, suggesting that this number may be a characteristic feature of vertebrates

Overview of SAND-E: Semi-Autonomous Navigation for Detrital Environments

Rovers are the state of the art for the exploration and detection of past habitability and life on other worlds. One of the most basic functions of a rover is terrain navigation. Information collected by the rover is used autonomously to mitigate terrain hazards such large rocks, while humans qualitatively assess hazardous geologic terrain such as soil type and degree of rock cover. Planetary scientists use the same information to select targets such as drill sites, and for basic scientific analysis such as characterization of rock outcrops. Although the data is complementary, data from terrain analysis for navigation and terrain analysis for scientific investigations are poorly integrated. The lack of integration creates science and operation inefficiencies that limit exploration of habitable environments. As new modes of exploration come online, such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS) (e.g., the Mars Helicopter Scout and Titan Dragonfly), a need exists to integrate terrain data and science analysis to improve operational and scientific outcomes during exploration. We present an overview of a project aimed at evaluating the effectiveness and capability rover and UAS-based semi-automated terrain analysis using the Automated Soil Assessment Systems (ASAS) developed by Mission Control Space Services for navigating, selecting targets for sampling, and characterizing mafic detrital sediments along glacio-fluvial-aeolian sand transport pathways in Iceland. We describe recent advances in automated terrain analysis in sandy environments and scientific uses of terrain assessment from sandy environments. We assess fluvial and aeolian terrains in Iceland and show how terrain analysis data can inform scientific characterization of these environments