Comparison of cardiac response to managerial workload between men and women

Smokers have frequently been heard to defend their habit by recounting anecdotes about relatives or friends who have smoked heavily for many years without developing cancer. While individuals who have survived many years of repeated mutagen exposure are probably very rare, their existence suggests that some people are intrinsically resistant to the effects of carcinogens, probably because of their genetic background. This interpretation is supported by studies on mouse strains that are highly resistant to the development of tumours induced by treatment with exogenous carcinogens. In this review we discuss the advantages of the mouse as a model system for the isolation of cancer-resistance genes that have potentially important uses in diagnostics, prevention and tumour therapy.     

Stress exposure and affective modulation of aggressive behavior in men and women.

To study differences in the effects of stress exposure and affective responding on aggression in men and women, the authors examined the effects of an acute stressor (air blast) on subsequent aggressive behavior, measured as the intensity of shocks men and women delivered to a putative employee. The authors measured participants' affective responding using the startle reflex. Results showed that although men and women did not differ in their startle responses to the actual stressor, high stress led to contrasting patterns of subsequent aggressive behavior. Women under high stress responded with less aggression than women under low stress, whereas men exposed to high stress exhibited increases in aggression relative to those under low stress. Affective responding during the stressor differentially modulated aggression in men and women: Startle responses predicted increasing levels of aggression in men and less aggression in women. These findings suggest that although men and women show similar basic affective processing in response to stressors, the behavioral profiles associated with stress differ in men and women. These findings have implications for understanding gender differences in the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative study of mentoring among men and women in managerial, professional, and technical positions.

Linkages between a global measure of mentoring experiences, gender, and 4 outcome variables were investigated. Also, the moderating effects of gender were examined to determine whether mentoring is differentially associated with career outcomes for men and women. Business school graduates (147 women and 173 men) provided information about their backgrounds, companies, positions, mentoring practices, compensation, and compensation satisfaction. Individuals experiencing extensive mentoring relationships reported receiving more promotions, had higher incomes, and were more satisfied with their pay and benefits than individuals experiencing less extensive mentoring relationships. There were no gender differences with regard to the frequency of mentoring activities, and gender did not moderate mentoring–outcome relationships. The results are discussed within the context of a $7,990 income difference between men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist among young African-American men and women.

Research has demonstrated the validity and reliability of the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL) in predominantly Caucasian samples. However, there has not been a study that examined the psychometric properties of the PCL specifically for African Americans. The present paper is an examination of the factor structure, internal stability, reliability, and predictive validity of the PCL among a sample of young African American men and women. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated better support for a two-factor model than for a three-factor model reflecting the three diagnostic symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder. High internal consistency and marginal test–retest reliability were observed. The positive predictive power of the PCL in the present study was far lower than that observed in previous studies; several potential explanations for this finding are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Norms affecting self-disclosure in men and women.

In a study with 128 undergraduates, it was predicted that attributions of mental illness would be based on the extent to which self-disclosure deviates from appropriate sex role behavior for men and women. In support of this hypothesis Ss of both sexes rated a male stimulus person as being better adjusted when he failed to disclose than when he did disclose information about a personal problem. The reverse trend occurred when a female stimulus person was being evaluated; she was seen as better adjusted when she disclosed than when she did not. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constancy of psychotic syndromes in men and women.

Interview behavior ratings were obtained on the Inpatient Multidimensional Psychiatric Scale for 375 male and 448 female psychotics from 16 state and university hospitals. An hypothesis-testing factor analysis confirmed 11 of the 12 factors (syndromes) hypothesized. The congruency coefficients indicated essential constancy between men and women across the 11 syndromes established. 4 similar 2nd order factors accounted for the correlations among the factor scores in both groups. Comparisons of the 2 sexes as to score level revealed that the males were more retarded, while the females were more excited. Thus, men and women are quite similar as to the kinds of psychotic behaviors they exhibit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital interactions of depressed men and women.

This article examined marital interactions in 50 couples with a depressed husband, 41 couples with a depressed wife, and 50 nondepressed control couples. As expected, couples with a depressed partner evidenced more disturbed marital interaction than control couples. Furthermore, couples with a depressed wife demonstrated less positive communication than couples with a depressed husband, notwithstanding the fact the depressed husbands exhibited greater depression severity than depressed wives. Findings are integrated with recent research on gender differences in affective expression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The power motive in women—and men.

Previous studies and original research on the power motive (n Power) in women show no sex differences in the ways in which the power motive is aroused, in average levels of n Power, or in relationships between n Power and getting formal social power, power-related careers, and prestige. While in women n Power does not predict the "profligate impulsive" behaviors that it often does in men (drinking, aggression, sexual exploitation), a closer analysis shows that for both sexes having younger siblings and/or having children—interpreted as proxy variables for responsibility training—moderate the relationship between n Power and profligate (versus leadership) behaviors. Thus to some extent socialization experience rather than gender determines the channels of expression of power motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The science and politics of comparing women and men.

This article considers scientific evidence relevant to 4 claims that are often made about the findings of research that has compared the sexes. These claims are that the sex-related differences demonstrated by empirical research are small, unusually unstable across studies, very often artifactual, and inconsistent with the content of gender stereotypes. The empirical status of these claims has been seriously weakened by the findings of numerous quantitative syntheses of research that have compared female and male behavior. This weakening of the evidence has jeopardized the feminist political agenda of using empirical research to disconfirm gender stereotypes to raise women's status. Consequently, comparing the sexes has become increasingly controversial among psychologists. To deal responsibly with the issues that have been raised, psychologists should consider the role that their research plays in discourse on the status of women in society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, reactivity, and immune function in healthy men.

Examined the effects of acute psychological stress on lymphocyte proliferation and circulating levels of interleukin-1 and -2. 20 healthy men were exposed to 2 viewings of a gruesome surgery film and were asked to recall details of the film twice during a 20-min period. These Ss were compared to a nonstress control group of 9 Ss. Lymphocyte proliferation to the mitogen concanavalin-A was decreased during and after exposure to the stressor when compared to the control group. This decrease was more pronounced in Ss exhibiting greater blood pressure reactivity while viewing the film than in Ss showing smaller blood pressure responses. None of the other immunological measures was significantly affected by the stressor. Cortisol was not correlated with lymphocyte responsiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Functional cerebral asymmetry and sexual orientation in men and women.

Functional cerebral asymmetry was assessed in 32 gay men and 32 heterosexual men and in 30 lesbians and 30 heterosexual women with a linguistic dichotic listening test. All groups showed the typical greater right-ear accuracy and, by inference, left-hemisphere representation for language functions. As shown repeatedly in previous studies (e.g., M. P. Bryden, 1982), among heterosexuals, consistent-right-handers showed greater perceptual asymmetry than did nonconsistent right-handers. In contrast, gay men and lesbians did not show an association between hand preference and magnitude of perceptual asymmetry. The results indicate different patterns of functional cerebral asymmetry in gay men and lesbians compared with heterosexual people and, specifically, less association between motoric and linguistic components of cerebral asymmetry. This suggestion of atypical patterns of functional asymmetries is consistent with previous results of an increased prevalence of left-hand preference among gay men and lesbians compared with the heterosexual population. The finding of an association between aspects of functional asymmetry, a neurological characteristic likely present from birth, and sexual orientation suggests that a neurobiological factor is involved in the origins of sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The confounded nature of angry men and happy women.

Findings of 7 studies suggested that decisions about the sex of a face and the emotional expressions of anger or happiness are not independent: Participants were faster and more accurate at detecting angry expressions on male faces and at detecting happy expressions on female faces. These findings were robust across different stimulus sets and judgment tasks and indicated bottom-up perceptual processes rather than just top-down conceptually driven ones. Results from additional studies in which neutrally expressive faces were used suggested that the connections between masculine features and angry expressions and between feminine features and happy expressions might be a property of the sexual dimorphism of the face itself and not merely a result of gender stereotypes biasing the perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Red, rank, and romance in women viewing men.

In many nonhuman species of vertebrates, females are attracted to red on male conspecifics. Red is also a signal of male status in many nonhuman vertebrate species, and females show a mating preference for high-status males. These red–attraction and red–status links have been found even when red is displayed on males artificially. In the present research, we document parallels between human and nonhuman females' response to male red. Specifically, in a series of 7 experiments we demonstrate that women perceive men to be more attractive and sexually desirable when seen on a red background and in red clothing, and we additionally show that status perceptions are responsible for this red effect. The influence of red appears to be specific to women's romantic attraction to men: Red did not influence men's perceptions of other men, nor did it influence women's perceptions of men's overall likability, agreeableness, or extraversion. Participants showed no awareness that the research focused on the influence of color. These findings indicate that color not only has aesthetic value but can carry meaning and impact psychological functioning in subtle, important, and provocative ways. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sequential interactions in the marital communication of depressed men and women.

Despite studies showing patterns of sequential interaction between depressed wives and their husbands, no published research has contrasted sequential interactions of depressed husbands and their wives. This study compared problem-solving interactions of 49 couples with a depressed husband, 41 with a depressed wife, and 50 normal controls. Interactions were coded using the Marital Interaction Coding System. Although no clear patterns of sequential interaction distinguished couples with a depressed wife from normal control couples, results suggested a unique pattern of interaction between depressed husbands and their spouses, whereby positive communications from the husband resulted in decreased positivity and increased negativity from their wives. Given the importance of positivity for promoting effective problem solving, this pattern appears to have important implications for couples' long-term marital satisfaction and husbands' mood regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Birth order and family size of homosexual men and women.

Systematically compared the birth order and family size of 150 male and 99 female homosexuals with those of 108 male and 97 female heterosexuals. Results show that neither birth order nor family size represented distinct or meaningful contrasts between male or female homosexuals or heterosexuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting math anxiety and course performance in college women and men.

Examined the ability of the construct of mathematics anxiety (MAX) to predict the grades of 112 female and 72 male undergraduates in an introductory algebra course. Ss completed the Global Anxiety Scale, a MAX rating scale, and a measure of achieving tendency. Results show that MAX had little to do with course grades after controlling for mathematical aptitude, as measured by the Scholastic Aptitude Test. In addition, MAX was more strongly related to general anxiety in males than in females. This finding suggests that females seeking treatment for MAX are likely to profit from treatment that focuses specifically on mathematics situations. The higher level of MAX among females could not be explained on the basis of differential course-taking, since males had a similar mathematics background. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)