Does fertility status influence impulsivity and risk taking in human females? Adaptive influences on intertemporal choice and risky decision making

Informed by the research on adaptive decision making in other animal species, this study investigated human females' intertemporal and risky choices across the ovulatory cycle. We tested the hypothesis that at peak fertility, women who are exposed to environments that signal availability of higher quality mates (by viewing images of attractive males), become more impulsive and risk-seeking in economic decision tasks. To test this, we collected intertemporal and risky choice measures before and after exposure to images of either attractive males or neutral landscapes both at peak and low fertility conditions. The results showed an interaction between women's fertility status and image type, such that women at peak fertility viewing images of attractive men chose the smaller, sooner monetary reward option less than women at peak fertility viewing neutral images. Neither fertility status nor image type influenced risky choice. Thus, though exposure to images of men altered intertemporal choices at peak fertility, this occurred in the opposite direction than predicted—i.e., women at peak fertility became less impulsive. Nevertheless, the results of the current study provide evidence for shifts in preferences over the ovulatory cycle and opens future research on economic decision making

A Cascade Model of Sociodevelopmental Events Leading to Men's Perpetration of Violence Against Female Romantic Partners

Conceptually driven by life history theory, the current study investigated a hypothesized hierarchy of behaviors leading to men's perpetration of violence in intimate relationships. Using a series of hierarchical regressions, we tested a causal cascade model on data provided by 114 men in a committed romantic relationship. The results supported the hypothesized hierarchy of sociodevelopmental events: (1) men's childhood experiences with their parents’ parental effort predicted men's life history strategies; (2) men's life history strategies predicted men's behavioral self-regulation; (3) men's self-regulation predicted men's perceptions of partner infidelity risk; (4) perceptions of infidelity risk predicted men's frequency of engagement in nonviolent mate retention behaviors; (5) men's mate retention behaviors predicted men's frequency of partner-directed violence. The overall cascade model explained 36% of variance in men's partner-directed violence. © The Author(s) 2021.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Age and sexual risk among black men who have sex with men in South Africa: the mediating role of attitudes towards condoms

The results of research linking age and sexual risk among men who have sex with men have been inconsistent. This study assessed the relationship between age and sexual risk among 193 Black men who have sex with men in Pretoria. Older men who have sex with men reported engaging in more frequent unprotected insertive anal intercourse. We examined whether components of Information Motivation Behavioral Skills model mediated this relationship. Results showed that (1) older age predicts less positive attitudes toward condoms, (2) less positive attitudes predict more frequent unprotected insertive anal intercourse, and (3) attitudes mediate the relationship between age and frequency of unprotected insertive anal intercourse. We consider two possible explanations for these findings: a developmental trajectory and a cohort effect.

Communicating HIV status in sexual interactions: assessing social cognitive constructs, situational factors, and individual characteristics among South African MSM

Poster presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Washington, USA, Jul

Male mate retention mediates the relationship between female sexual infidelity and female-directed violence

Previous research has documented relationships between (1) female sexual infidelity and men’s non-violent mate retention behaviors, and (2) men’s non-violent mate retention behaviors and partner-directed violence. In the two studies, we examined two additional relationships: (1) the relationship between accusations of female sexual infidelity and men’s partner-directed violence and (2) whether men’s direct guarding mate retention behaviors mediates the relationship between accusations of female sexual infidelity and men’s partner-directed violence. The results indicate that (1) accusations of female sexual infidelity predict men’s partner-directed violence, (2) men’s reports of direct guarding mediates the relationship between accusations of partner sexual infidelity and partner-directed violence (Study 1, N = 165) and (3) women’s reports of men’s direct guarding partially mediates the same relationship (Study 2, N = 306). The discussion addresses sex differences identified in the mediation analyses, notes limitations of the research, and highlights directions for future research

Communicating HIV status in sexual interactions: assessing social cognitive constructs, situational factors, and individual characteristics among South African MSM

This study assessed whether social cognitive constructs, situational factors, and individual characteristics were associated with communicating HIV status and whether communication was related to sexual risk behavior. A quota-sampling method stratified by age, race, and township was used to recruit 300 men who have sex with men to participate in a community-based survey in Pretoria in 2008. Participants reported characteristics of their last sexual encounter involving anal sex, including whether they or their partner had communicated their HIV status. Fifty-nine percent of participants reported that they or their partner had communicated their HIV status. HIV communication self-efficacy, being with a steady partner and being Black were independently associated with communicating HIV status. Communicating HIV status was not associated with unprotected anal intercourse. HIV communication self-efficacy increases mends likelihood of communicating HIV status. Being with a steady partner and being Black reduces that likelihood. Communication about HIV status did not lead to safer sex.

Sexual violence and HIV risk among black men who have sex with men in South African townships

Poster presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Washington, USA, Jul

Attitudes towards condom use may explain why older black South African msm engage in unprotected insertive anal sex more frequently

Poster presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Washington, USA, Jul

Social networks, social support and HIV-risk behaviors among men who have sex with men in Durban, South Africa: a pilot study

Poster presentation at the HIV 2014: Science, Community and Policy for Key Vulnerable Populations, New York Academy of Sciences, 5 Ma

Husband’s esteem predicts their mate retention tactics

Men sometimes enact mate retention tactics to thwart a partner\u27s infidelity or prevent their defection from the relationship. These tactics include low-risk acts that render the current relationship more attractive by bestowing benefits on the woman, as well as cost-inflicting acts that render defection from the relationship risky or dangerous for her. Previous research has linked men\u27s mate retention behavior with men\u27s mate value (value as a current or potential partner) using women\u27s reports. The current research addresses limitations of that research using self-reports and cross-spousal reports from 107 married couples concerning their self-esteem and their esteem for their partner. The results indicate that the level of esteem that wives have for their husbands is positively associated with their perception of their husband\u27s use of positive inducements and negatively associated with their husband\u27s self-reported use of cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors (i.e., Direct Guarding, Intersexual Negative Inducements, and Intrasexual Negative Inducements). The level of self-esteem reported by men was negatively associated with their self-reported direct guarding behavior. Discussion explores the possibility that esteem-both self-esteem and esteem from one\u27s partner-functions as an internal gauge of relative mate value