An examination of the factorial and convergent validity of four measures of conspiracist ideation, with recommendations for researchers

A number scales have been developed to measure conspiracist ideation, but little attention has been paid to the factorial validity of these scales. We reassessed the psychometric properties of four widely-used scales, namely the Belief in Conspiracy Theories Inventory (BCTI), the Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ), the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS), and the One-Item Conspiracy Measure (OICM). Eight-hundred-and-three U. S. adults completed all measures, along with measures of endorsement of 9/11 and anti- vaccination conspiracy theories. Through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, we found that only the BCTI had acceptable factorial validity. We failed to confirm the factor structures of the CMQ and the GBCS, suggesting these measures had poor factorial valid- ity. Indices of convergent validity were acceptable for the BCTI, but weaker for the other measures. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for the future refinement in the measurement of conspiracist ideation

Resource security impacts men’s female breast size preferences

It has been suggested human female breast size may act as signal of fat reserves, which in turn indicates access to resources. Based on this perspective, two studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that men experiencing relative resource insecurity should perceive larger breast size as more physically attractive than men experiencing resource security. In Study 1, 266 men from three sites in Malaysia varying in relative socioeconomic status (high to low) rated a series of animated figures varying in breast size for physical attractiveness. Results showed that men from the low socioeconomic context rated larger breasts as more attractive than did men from the medium socioeconomic context, who in turn perceived larger breasts as attractive than men from a high socioeconomic context. Study 2 compared the breast size judgements of 66 hungry versus 58 satiated men within the same environmental context in Britain. Results showed that hungry men rated larger breasts as significantly more attractive than satiated men. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that resource security impacts upon men’s attractiveness ratings based on women’s breast size

A two-storage model for deteriorating items with holding cost under inflation and Genetic Algorithms

A deterministic inventory model has been developed for deteriorating items and Genetic Algorithms (GA) having a ramp type demands with the effects of inflation with two-storage facilities. The owned warehouse (OW) has a fixed capacity of W units; the rented warehouse (RW) has unlimited capacity. Here, we assumed that the inventory holding cost in RW is higher than those in OW. Shortages in inventory are allowed and partially backlogged and Genetic Algorithms (GA) it is assumed that the inventory deteriorates over time at a variable deterioration rate. The effect of inflation has also been considered for various costs associated with the inventory system and Genetic Algorithms (GA). Numerical example is also used to study the behaviour of the model. Cost minimization technique is used to get the expressions for total cost and other parameters

A Two-Warehouse Model for Deteriorating Items with Holding Cost under Particle Swarm Optimization

A deterministic inventory model has been developed for deteriorating items and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) having a ramp type demands with the effects of inflation with two-warehouse facilities. The owned warehouse (OW) has a fixed capacity of W units; the rented warehouse (RW) has unlimited capacity. Here, we assumed that the inventory holding cost in RW is higher than those in OW. Shortages in inventory are allowed and partially backlogged and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) it is assumed that the inventory deteriorates over time at a variable deterioration rate. The effect of inflation has also been considered for various costs associated with the inventory system and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Numerical example is also used to study the behaviour of the model. Cost minimization technique is used to get the expressions for total cost and other parameters

Men’s oppressive beliefs predict their breast size preferences in women

Previous studies of men’s breast size preferences have yielded equivocal findings, with studies variously indicating a preference for small, medium, or large breasts. Here, we examined the impact of men’s oppressive beliefs in shaping their female breast size ideals. British White men from the community in London, England (N = 361) viewed figures of women that rotated in 360° and varied in breast size along five levels. They then rated the figure that they found most physically attractive and also completed measures assessing their sexist attitudes and tendency to objectify women. Results showed that medium breasts were rated most frequent as attractive (32.7 %), followed by large (24.4 %) and very large (19.1 %) breasts. Further analyses showed that men’s preferences for larger female breasts were significantly associated with a greater tendency to be benevolently sexist, to objectify women, and to be hostile towards women. These results were discussed in relation to feminist theories, which postulate that beauty ideals and practices in contemporary societies serve to maintain the domination of one sex over the other

Mental health literacy of depression: gender differences and attitudinal antecedents in a representative British sample

Background Poor mental health literacy and negative attitudes toward individuals with mental health disorders may impede optimal help-seeking for symptoms of mental ill-health. The present study examined the ability to recognize cases of depression as a function of respondent and target gender, as well as individual psychological differences in attitudes toward persons with depression. Methods In a representative British general population survey, the ability to correctly recognize vignettes of depression was assessed among 1,218 adults. Respondents also rated the vignettes along a number of attitudinal dimensions and completed measures of attitudes toward seeking psychological help, psychiatric skepticism, and anti-scientific attitudes. Results There were significant differences in the ability to correctly identify cases of depression as a function of respondent and target gender. Respondents were more likely to indicate that a male vignette did not suffer from a mental health disorder compared to a female vignette, and women were more likely than men to indicate that the male vignette suffered from a mental health disorder. Attitudes toward persons with depression were associated with attitudes toward seeking psychological help, psychiatric skepticism, and anti-scientific attitudes. Conclusion Initiatives that consider the impact of gender stereotypes as well as individual differences may enhance mental health literacy, which in turn is associated with improved help-seeking behaviors for symptoms of mental ill-health

Stochastic Geometric Modeling & Analysis of Non-Uniform Two-tier Networks: A Stienen’s Model Base Approach

While stochastic geometric models based on Poisson point processes (PPP) provide a tractable approach for the analysis of uniform two-tier network deployments, the performance evaluation of a non-uniform deployment remains an open issue which we address in this paper. This is due to the fact that smaller cells can be more efficiently deployed in areas where the QoS of traditional macro base stations is poor. Therefore, in this paper we introduce Stienen’s model which allows us to analyse such non-uniform deployment. In contrast to traditional PPP based analysis, performance characterization under Stienen Model are more challenging due to location and density dependencies. However, we demonstrate that the performance can be approximated in a tractable manner. The developed statistical framework is employed to characterize the gains in terms of energy efficiency (EE) for non-uniform deployments. Results show an achievable 19% to 124% improvements in the macrocell coverage as compared to a uniform deployment, while the femtocell coverage and system EE are of the same order of magnitude for both deployments. These results are complemented with the fact that OPEX and CAPEX are reduced due to a lesser number of FAPs deployed