bims-chumac 2022-09-11 papers

Issue of 2022–09–11
three papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Behav Res Ther. 2022 Aug 27. pii: S0005-7967(22)00155-3. [Epub ahead of print]158 104184

Effect of manipulating facial attractiveness judgements on the experience of intrusive thoughts in high facial appearance concern individuals.

Laura Dondzilo, Sarsha Spring, Colin MacLeod.

Elevated facial appearance concern is characterised by highly frequent and distressing intrusive thoughts about appearance. Recent evidence suggests that enhanced readiness to make attractive (rather than unattractive) judgements of one's own and others' faces is associated with reduced experiencing of intrusive thoughts in high facial appearance concern individuals. The current study sought to experimentally evaluate the causal nature of this relationship. Females with high facial appearance concern (N = 123) completed the novel Judgement Dimension Manipulation (JDM) under conditions that required making 'attractive' judgments (i.e., only attractive faces were judged in terms of their attractiveness) or 'unattractive' judgments (i.e., only unattractive faces were judged in terms of their attractiveness). Prior to, and following the manipulation, participants completed a measure of intrusion frequency. Results revealed that the JDM was effective in inducing differential facial attractiveness judgements across the two groups and that this, in turn, impacted on intrusion frequency. Specifically, participants that were instructed to make 'attractive' judgments exhibited reduced intrusion frequency. These findings suggest that making attractive judgements of one's own and others' faces causally impacts on the experience of appearance-related intrusive thoughts and implicate that targeting this process may have potential therapeutic value.

Keywords: Attractiveness; Body dysmorphic disorder; Cognitive bias; Facial appearance concern; Intrusions

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104184

Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Sep 08.

The Interacting Effects of Height and Shoulder-to-Hip Ratio on Perceptions of Attractiveness, Masculinity, and Fighting Ability: Experimental Design and Ecological Validity Considerations.

Farid Pazhoohi, Ray Garza, Alan Kingstone.

Previous research has shown that men's height and upper body size are both associated with the perception of attractiveness, because they might be cues to men's genetic fitness, fighting ability, and resource holding power. However, the combined effects of men's height and upper body size have not been explored. In this research, across four studies (N = 659 heterosexual women), we systematically explored the perception of men's muscular upper body at different heights on perceptions of attractiveness, masculinity, and fighting ability. Women rated male stimuli with heights ranging from 160 cm (5'3″) to 190 cm (6'3″) and three values of shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR). In general, results showed that women considered taller men and men with larger SHR as more attractive, masculine, and better in fighting ability. However, a robust interaction between height and SHR was dependent on participants being exposed to variation on both variables and the ecological validity of the stimuli (silhouettes vs. more realistic rendered figures).

Keywords: Fighting ability; Height; Masculinity; Physical attractiveness; Shoulder-to-Hip Ratio

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02416-2

Sex Roles. 2022 Sep 01. 1-17

Unmarried Black Women's Sexual Socialization: The Role of Dating, Motherhood, and Intimate Partner Violence Across Media Types.

Jessica D Moorman.

The terms single and singlehood conflate marital (e.g. divorced, widowed, and never married) and relationship (e.g. partnered or not) statuses, complicating researchers' understandings of their unique impact on women's lives. Despite qualitative research demonstrating unmarried and unpartnered statuses have distinct implications for women's sexual socialization, little quantitative research has explored these differences. To address this gap, the current project surveyed 506 unmarried Black women (M age = 33.02) to explore how common singlehood experiences (dating, motherhood, and intimate partner violence [IPV]) moderated associations between respondents' media use (television, social media, movies, and magazines) and relationship beliefs. This project focused on Black women because of their high rates of unmarried status and the pervasiveness of media stereotypes of their singlehood. Hierarchical linear regressions and the PROCESS model were used to test two-way interactions of media and singlehood experiences. Ecological systems and cultivation theories guided analyses. Across the dependent variables, media types were differentially associated with measures of relationship beliefs and these associations were differentially moderated by singlehood experiences. Weekly television was the most consistent predictor of relationship beliefs and experience with IPV was the most consistent moderator of associations. Women without partners, children, or experiences of IPV exhibited significant associations between media and relationship beliefs while their more experienced peers did not, suggesting singlehood experiences and media work together to shape unmarried Black women's sexual socialization, though more work is needed to determine how. Results illuminated key differences between groups of unmarried Black women, complicating current understandings of single status and challenging how singlehood is conceptualized in sexual socialization research.

Keywords: Black women; Cultivation theory; Ecological systems theory; Intimate partner violence; Media; Motherhood; Sexual socialization; Singlehood

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-022-01316-y