The effects of age and gender on perceived facial attractiveness: A reply to McLellan and McKelvie.

Comments on B. McLellan and S. J. McKelvie's study (see record 1993-45212-001) investigating the effects of age and gender on attractiveness of photographs of faces. The results of this study are challenged in the context of sociobiological theory for the following reasons: (1) the implicit assumption that facial attractiveness can be used as an indicator of human mate choice is questionable; (2) age categories of Ss choosing photographs of faces were too broad to test the validity of a sociobiological hypothesis; and (3) results were not accurately interpreted. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of age and gender on perceived facial attractiveness.

Examined 2 alternative predictions: (1) that Ss would find others similar to themselves as most attractive or (2) that men would prefer younger women and women more mature men. 22 men and 25 women (aged 17–29 yrs), 16 men and 18 women (aged 30–49 yrs) and 18 men and 32 women (aged 50+ yrs) rated the physical attractiveness of 72 photographs of faces from similar age/gender categories. For all groups of Ss, perceived attractiveness declined with age of face, particularly for women's faces. In addition, most groups rated women's faces as more attractive than those of men, the exception being men under 30 yrs, who rated men higher. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol expectancies: effects of gender, age, and family history of alcoholism

Random samples taken from six recent textbooks and three older books in introductory psychology were analyzed with respect to linguistic style, emotional tone, and pattern of citation. Newer and older books, individual books, and categories of chapters within books were compared to each other. Analysis suggests that newer books are longer and linguistically more complicated. They also contain proportionally more citations, and more text pages devoted to social psychology and psychopathology than older books. There were several significant stylistic and emotional differences among books and some significant content differences among chapters.     

Children's facial responsiveness to odors: Influences of hedonic valence of odor, gender, age, and social presence.

Facial responsiveness to pleasant and unpleasant odors was examined in 5- to 12 year-old children in either an alone condition (AC) or a social presence condition (SPC). The children failed to display reflex-like patterns, but they exhibited facial configurations that varied according to the odor valence and the social condition. Girls evidenced more smiles than did boys, but this sex difference was significant only in response to unpleasant odors in the SPC. Furthermore, untrained observers were able to accurately identify the children's facial responses to unpleasant odors in the AC only and to pleasant odors in the SPC only. These findings (a) suggest that facial responsiveness to odors is flexible and able to reorganize when display rules operate and (b) support the emotional and communicative functions of human facial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Effects of age and gender on perceived facial attractiveness": Reply.

Responds to comments by R. H. Bradshaw et al (see record 1995-01642-001) on B. McLellan and S. J. McKelvie's study (see record 1993-45212-001) investigating the effects of age and gender on attractiveness of photographs of faces. Although the major result of this study was a negative relationship between age and perceived attractiveness, the authors conclude that sociobiological theory received qualified support, with 4 out of 6 revised predictions confirmed. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of target, age, and gender on use of power strategies.

T. Falbo and L. A. Paplau (see record 1981-10374-001) found that females use unilateral and indirect power strategies in intimate relationships, whereas males use direct and bilateral power strategies. In the present study, differences in power strategies reported by 198 6th, 9th, and 12th graders in response to mother, father, and same-sex friend targets were examined in terms of the same 2-dimensional model. Friends differed from both parental targets in receiving fewer unilateral and indirect strategies. Fathers, hypothesized to have the most power, received fewer direct and bilateral strategies than mothers and friends. Weaker strategies were used more with parents and stronger strategies were used more with friends. Gender effects, alone and in interaction with target and grade, did not support previous gender differences. Findings support the usefulness of the Falbo and Peplau model in examining the effects of targets on the use of power strategies and a power interpretation of gender differences in intimate relationships. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Systematic variations in callosal morphology: The effects of age, gender, hand preference, and anatomic asymmetry.

The size of the human corpus callosum may be related to individual variability in cerebral lateralization. Nonright-handers and women have been reported to show a thicker corpus callosum, reduced functional asymmetry, and reduced anatomic asymmetries, but such reports are inconsistent. The effects of age, volumetric anatomic asymmetries, gender, and handedness on callosal morphology were examined among 38 men (aged 68–89 yrs) and 59 women (aged 56–90 yrs). Women had proportionately larger anterior callosal areas than men, but there was greater age-related decline in callosal area in men. Factors predicting callosal size differed in men and women. In men, increasing posterior callosal size was predicted by greater right-handedness and the presence of a larger posterior left hemisphere volume. In women, increasing callosal size was predicted by increasing nonright-handedness; midcallosal thickness was predicted by the presence of a larger posterior left hemisphere volume. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of age and gender on the pharmacokinetics of irbesartan

AIMS: Single dose pharmacokinetics and safety of irbesartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, were evaluated in healthy young and elderly male and female subjects. METHODS: Irbesartan was administered as two 25 mg capsules after a 10 h fast to 12 young men, 12 young women, 12 elderly men and 12 elderly women. Serial blood and urine sample were collected up to 96 h after the dose. Plasma and urine samples were analysed for irbesartan by h.p.l.c./fluorescence methods. RESULTS: No statistically significant gender effects were observed in peak plasma concentration (Cmax), area under the curve (AUC), and terminal elimination half-life (t1/2) of irbesartan. The geometric mean AUC and Cmax increased by about 43% and 49%, respectively, in the elderly subjects. Also the time to peak was significantly shorter in the elderly subjects compared with that observed in the young subjects. Renal clearance ofirbesartan was significantly reduced in the elderly females but this reduction is not likely to be of any clinical relevance since less than 3% of the administered dose of irbesartan is excreted unchanged in the urine. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was an effect of age on the pharmacokinetics of irbesartan, based on the safety and efficacy profile, no adjustment in irbesartan dosage is necessary with respect to age or gender.     

金纳米微粒晶格畸变和结合能的尺寸形状效应

利用紧束缚分子动力学的方法,模拟了球形和立方体金纳米微粒的最近邻原子间距以及结合能.研究表明,原子数为108,256的立方体纳米微粒的稳定结构是非晶态,而其他尺寸的球形和立方体形微粒则是面心立方结构.对于晶态结构,在一定的形状下,金纳米微粒的最近邻原子间距以及结合能随着微粒尺寸的减小而降低;而在微粒原子数一定时,球形金纳米微粒的最近邻原子间距以及结合能的变化量分别要小于立方体形微粒的相应变化量.由于晶体-非晶转变对于最近邻原子间距的影响非常明显,因此最近邻原子间距可以作为晶态和非晶态纳米微粒的一个判据.通过线性拟合模拟数据,定量地给出了形状对于最邻近原子间距变化量的贡献为总变化量的2%,而对于结合能的贡献为总变化量的15%.本文模拟的最近邻原子间距的数值与文献上报道的实验结果符合得很好.     

Child sexual abuse: victim age, victim gender, and observer gender as factors contributing to attributions of responsibility

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of victim gender, and observer gender on the tendency to attribute responsibility for extrafamilial child sexual abuse to the victim and the nonoffending parents. METHOD: A 2 (Victim Age) x 2 (Victim Gender) x 2 (Observer Gender) between-subjects design was employed. Undergraduate students (N = 145) read a vignette describing a sexually abusive interaction between an adult male neighbor and a child. In this vignette, the child's gender and age (6 years old, 13 years old) varied. After reading the vignette, participants used a 5-point scale to indicate the degree to which they believed the victim and the parents (a) were responsible for, (b) were to blame for, (c) caused, and (d) could have prevented the abuse. RESULTS: Greater responsibility was assigned to older than younger victims. Both parents were ascribed similar levels of responsibility, and were ascribed greater responsibility when the child victim was younger than older. Male observers attributed greater responsibility and causality to the victim and the parents than did female observers. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that responsibility attributions directed toward the victim and the nonoffending parents may be a function of the victim's age. In addition, the findings support previous research suggesting that male observers may tend to hold victims more responsible for their abuse than female observers. Implications for treatment and research are discussed.     

Children's self-image disparity: Effects of age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender.

Assessed developmental and experiential determinants of self-image disparity in 80 2nd and 5th graders. There were 8 groups formed on the basis of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and gender within each grade. Consistent with predictions generated by developmental theory, self-image disparity was found to be positively related to CA. Although the results were not uniform across the 3 self-image instruments employed, the larger disparity in older Ss appeared to be a function of both decreased self-evaluations and increased ideal self-images. Gender, SES, and ethnic group membership—characteristics thought to subsume pervasive experiential differences—were also found to affect self-image. Males had larger self-image disparities than females, Whites had larger disparities and higher ideal self images than Blacks, and SES affected self-image differentially for the 2nd and 5th graders. Findings indicate that an understanding of children's self-images requires a consideration of both developmental and experiential factors. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unique and interactive effects of depression, age, socioeconomic advantage, and gender on cognitive performance of normal healthy older people.

A sample of 4,243 residents of Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, aged 50 to 93 yrs, completed the Beck Depression Inventory and a battery of 6 different cognitive tests. Beck scores were low, indicating gradations of dysphoria rather than clinical depression. Beck scores did not vary with age but were significantly higher for women than for men and for disadvantaged than for advantaged socioeconomic groups. Measures of fluid, but not of crystallized, ability declined as age increased. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with poorer performance on all cognitive tests. Men scored higher on a test of spatial reasoning, and women scored higher on a test of word definition and on 2 tests of verbal memory and learning. However, after variance associated with these demographic and individual difference variables was considered, and within a range indicative of dysphoria rather than clinical depression, higher Beck scores were associated with significantly poorer performance on both crystallized and fluid measures of cognitive ability. This association was less marked in women than in men, but age, socioeconomic advantage, and estimated lifetime intellectual ability did not act as protective or risk factors for vulnerability of cognitive processes to dysphoria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of externalizing behavior from age 2 to age 9: Relations with gender, temperament, ethnicity, parenting, and rater.

Trajectories of children's externalizing behavior were examined using multilevel growth curve modeling of data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. According to ratings by both mothers and caregivers/teachers when children were 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 years old, externalizing behavior declined with age. However, mothers rated children as higher in externalizing behavior than did caregivers and teachers. Higher levels of age 9 externalizing behavior were predicted by the following factors: child male gender (for caregiver/teacher reports only), infant difficult temperament (for children with harsh mothers only), harsher maternal attitude toward discipline, higher level of maternal depression (for maternal reports only), and lower level of maternal sensitivity (especially for boys). Caregivers and teachers reported higher levels of externalizing behavior in African American children than in European American children, increasingly so over time; mothers' ratings revealed the reverse. The declining slope of externalizing behavior was predicted by infant difficult temperament for mother reports only. Additional analyses suggested that the association between parenting and externalizing behavior was bidirectional. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The social psychology of gender: How power and intimacy shape gender relations.

Reviews the book, The social psychology of gender: How power and intimacy shape gender relations by Laurie A. Rudman and Peter Glick (see record 2008-09331-000). In this volume, respected gender experts Rudman and Glick (both former recipients of the Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Award for their respective research in this area) highlight the ways in which male dominance and intimate interdependence work together to shape peoples’ attitudes toward men and women and thusly their interactions with members of both sexes. Although its publication in the Texts series suggests that it is aimed primarily at a student audience, this volume nevertheless has much to offer the interested layperson and the serious academic as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AIDS and the African American woman: the triple burden of race, class, and gender

The disproportionate impact of human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) disease on African American women is devastating to their lives, their families, their communities, and our society. Among AIDS cases in women, 52.5% are black. African American women with HIV disease constitute one of the least powerful and most burdened segments of society. The African American woman whose behavior places her at risk for HIV infection must be the focus of increased prevention and treatment efforts. This article will describe risk factors for HIV infection and AIDS educational needs of women at risk. The interaction of race, gender, and social class will be explored. The controversy over medical manifestations of HIV will be addressed within the context of the social reality of African American women at risk. Reproductive rights and public policy issues will be discussed. Health educators must overcome their fear, class prejudice, and racial bias in order to form the interracial coalition necessary to lead our nation in the struggle to stop the devastation of AIDS among African American women and children.     

Determinants of health knowledge: An investigation of age, gender, abilities, personality, and interests.

Ten areas of health knowledge were investigated in 2 studies, 1 of college students (N=169) and 1 of adults from the community (ages 19-70; N=176). Measures assessed knowledge of aging, orthopedic/ dermatological concerns, common illnesses, childhood/early life, serious illnesses, mental health, nutrition, reproduction, safety, and treatment of illness/disease. Significant gender differences favoring women were found for most areas of health knowledge, especially reproduction and early life. Results showed that cognitive ability accounted for the most variance in health knowledge with nonability (personality and interest traits) and demographic variables accounting for smaller but significant amounts of variance across most knowledge domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of gender and taste class in the effects of stress on eating.

In a study of the effects of stress on eating, healthy nonsmoking Ss (26 men and 28 women, aged 17–41 yrs) were shown a film about industrial accidents (stress condition) or a pleasant travelog (control condition) and had access to sweet, salty, and bland snack food. Stress markedly and significantly decreased food consumption by men but resulted in some increased food consumption by women. Across the 3 taste categories, men consistently ate less under stress than in the control condition. In contrast, women ate nearly twice as much sweet food and more bland food under stress than in the control condition, but these effects were not statistically significant. Thus, the relationship between stress and eating depends on the sex of the S and may relate to type of food available. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spontaneous mutation in Big Blue transgenic mice: analysis of age, gender, and tissue type

A lacI-containing transgenic mouse mutation detection system (Big Blue) was used to determine the frequency and spectrum of spontaneous mutation in two rapidly dividing tissues (male germ cells and thymus) and one slowly dividing tissue (brain) at 3 and 10 months of age. By screening 9.4 million lambda plaques, a total of 343 circular mutant plaques were recovered from the three tissues. The mutation frequencies and spectra were determined by sequencing the lacI gene and associated lacZ operator in all samples and correcting for "jackpot" mutations. The mutation frequencies and spectra were similar in all three tissues and there were no age-dependent or gender-dependent changes. When the mutation spectrum in each tissue was compared by utilizing large numbers of independent mutations (average: 75 per tissue), there was evidence for small tissue-specific differences. The spectrum of "jackpot" mutations, which clearly represents in vivo mouse-derived mutations, was similar to that of nonjackpot mutations, providing additional evidence that observed mutations occur in mouse. In the aggregate, the results suggest that there is: (i) a core mutation frequency and spectrum that is modified weakly by tissue-specific metabolism, and (ii) a steady-state level of spontaneous mutation in adult mice reflecting the balance between the accumulation of new mutations and the elimination of mutated cells by either selection against suboptimal cellular function or apoptosis triggered by accumulated DNA damage.     

Psychologists on psychology: The inquiry beliefs of psychologists by subdiscipline, gender, and age.

Three hundred six psychologists, all members of the American Psychological Association, responded to a questionnaire on which they rated various theoretical-philosophical statements concerning the conduct of psychological inquiry. Results were considered in relation to the subdiscipline of psychology to which respondents belonged, their gender, and their decade of birth. Results for subdiscipline indicated progressively weaker relative support for naturalism, reductionism, empiricism, and experimentalism as the context of subdisciplinary inquiry became increasingly broad. Women were less attached to experimental methods than men and displayed a stronger belief in the importance of political factors in research than did their male counterparts. Finally, younger psychologists believed more strongly in the importance of presentation skills such as good writing and rhetoric with respect to research and academic success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)