bims-chumac 2021-10-17 papers

Issue of 2021–10–17
five papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021 Aug;121(2): 432-440

Robust evidence for moderation of ovulatory shifts by partner attractiveness in Arslan et al.'s (2020) data.

Arslan et al. (2020) conducted a large-scale, preregistered daily diary study on over 400 normally ovulating women. Of core interest were hypotheses that women's ratings of their partner's sexual attractiveness moderate associations of fertility status with women's own extrapair sexual desires, their own interest in in-pair sex, and their partners' mate retention tactics. The authors claim that "no evidence for moderator effects" (p. 426) was found. In fact, their own analyses reported in their supplementary material show robust evidence for moderation effects. Moreover, a new reanalysis using a more comprehensive composite measure of male partner sexual attractiveness yielded even stronger results. Effect size estimates are consistent with the existence of large, meaningful moderation effects, revealing that this study actually does show evidence of moderation effects. Additional analyses show similarly strong moderator effects on male proprietariness. We discuss the findings in the context of reliance on binary (significant vs. nonsignificant) labels and the pitfalls of underreporting effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000305

Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Oct 12.

The Importance of Intact Senses in Mating and Social Assessments Made by Deaf Individuals.

Anna Oleszkiewicz, Paulina Idziak, Marta Rokosz.

Social perception is a multimodal process involving vision and audition as central input sources for human social cognitive processes. However, it remains unclear how profoundly deaf people assess others in the context of mating and social interaction. The current study explored the relative importance of different sensory modalities (vision, smell, and touch) in assessments of opposite- and same-sex strangers. We focused on potential sensory compensation processes in mate selection (i.e., increased importance of the intact senses in forming impressions of an opposite-sex stranger as a potential partner). A total of 74 deaf individuals and 100 normally hearing controls were included in the study sample. We found diminished importance of vision and smell in deaf participants compared with controls for opposite- and same-sex strangers, and increased importance of touch for the assessment of same-sex strangers. The results suggested that deaf people rely less on visual and olfactory cues in mating and social assessments, highlighting a possible role of sign language in shaping interpersonal tactile experience in non-romantic relationships.

Keywords: Attractiveness; Deafness; Mate selection; Sensory modalities

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02016-6

Curr Psychol. 2021 Oct 04. 1-11

Still Striving After All These Years: Between Normality of Conduct and Normativity of Evaluation in Casual Relationships among College Students.

Maria-João Alvarez, Ana Pegado, Rita Luz, Helena Amaro.

Gender similarities have been detected in various sexual behaviors and attitudes in young adults, but persistent differences remain regarding casual sexual relationships (CSRs), with women feeling different external pressures than men. We set out to study the spontaneous references made to gender similarities and differences towards CSRs in eight focus group interviews (N = 35 college-students, aged 18-28) about the characteristics of CSRs within a social-role framework. The thematic analysis led us to the interpretation that there is an ongoing change in the acceptability of these relationships, leading to the emergence of a single sexual standard - mostly liberal, but at times also conservative. However, different expectations remain, derived from a deep-rooted traditional sexual double standard still perceived in society. Challenges to the unequal standards and social constraints in CSRs is desired by many women, defended by men, and admired in those women whose striving contributes to the normalization of this conduct and of how it is evaluated.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02344-9.

Keywords: Casual sex; Focus group; Gender differences; Gender equity; Sexual behavior; Young adult

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02344-9

Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Oct 12.

Factors Influencing Sexual Vocalization in Human Females.

Pavol Prokop.

Human females use numerous signals to attract male attention which can be ultimately motivated by enhanced paternal investment in the offspring. Sexual vocalization is a form of female sexual signaling. The majority of hypotheses attempting to explain the functional significance of vocalizations have been applied on non-human primates, while research on human females is scarce. This study investigated factors underlying sexual vocalization with a sample of 403 heterosexual Slovak females. Sexual vocalization was most frequent during penetration itself compared with other forms of sexual activities, which supports its signaling function. The most frequently reported sexual vocalizations were moaning/groaning, followed by screams and instructional commands, squeals, and words. Both the frequency and intensity of sexual vocalizations were significantly and positively associated with sexual arousal during the last sexual vaginal intercourse and sociosexuality. About 38% of females reported that they pretended vocalization and, in turn, pretended vocalization was exclusively associated with pretending orgasm. No direct evidence was found for any associations between self-reported frequency and intensity of sexual vocalization and partner satisfaction/physical attractiveness/ambition/dominance, self-perceived attractiveness, or occurrence of orgasm. The frequency (but not intensity) of sexual vocalization was positively influenced by the conception risk. On the proximate level, it seems that sexually less restricted females may use sexual vocalization to increase their sexual attractiveness to their current partner by means of boosting their partner's self-esteem. Enhanced vocalization by sexually unrestricted females may ultimately secure higher paternal investment and increase the confidence of the paternity of current sexual partner.

Keywords: Female attractiveness; Female orgasm; Human evolution; Sociosexuality

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02018-4

Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Oct 12.

Cultural Unintelligibility and Marital Pressure: A Grounded Theory of Minority Stigma Against Women with Same-Sex Attraction in Mainland China.

Tao H Wei, Lori L Jervis, Yun Jiang, Kerstin M Reinschmidt, Lancer D Stephens, Ying Zhang, Thomas A Teasdale.

Minority stigma against sexual minority women and its contributions to these women's health disparities have been widely investigated in Western countries. By contrast, little has been known about minority stigma against women with same-sex attraction (WSSA) in mainland China. This study aimed at exploring the nature, genesis, and pathways of minority stigma among this rarely studied minority group in terms of China's unique social and cultural organization of gender and sexuality. A grounded theory approach was applied to 28 participants of Chinese WSSA through in-depth telephone interviews to elicit their views and perspectives anchored in their daily experiences with gender hierarchy and normative heterosexuality. Findings of this study identified marital pressure and cultural unintelligibility as two principal components of minority stigma against Chinese WSSA. A conceptual framework was developed to illustrate how minority stigma relies on the mutually reinforcing loop of martial pressure and culturally unintelligible status of female same-sex attraction to oppress Chinese WSSA within and across intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels. The parent-daughter relationship, laden with the Confucian value of filial piety, was highlighted as the major pathway of minority stigma to force Chinese women with same-sex attraction into heterosexual marriage and make female same-sex attraction culturally unintelligible. These findings lay a foundation for conceptualizing and measuring minority stigma of Chinese WSSA caused by the stigmatization of their same-sex attraction. Moreover, these findings would contribute greatly to understanding how cultural particularities critically affect the local process of stigmatization through which power relations and social control are practiced.

Keywords: Grounded theory; Lesbian; Mainland China; Minority stigma; Sexual orientation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02050-4