bims-chumac 2022-08-07 papers

bims-chumac

Biomed News

on Context effects on human mate choice

Issue of 2022–08–07
six papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Stigmatization of Consensual Non-monogamous Partners: Perceived Endorsement of Conservation or Openness to Change Values Vary According to Personal Attitudes.
Summarized attribute preferences have unique antecedents and consequences.
Emerging Adult LGB+ Romantic Relationships: Narratives about Met and Unmet Relationship Needs.
Body Image and Sexual Well-Being: A Qualitative Study of Women's Perceptions of Partner and Relationship Influences.
Virtually in love: The role of anthropomorphism in virtual romantic relationships.
Personality growth after relationship losses: Changes of perceived control in the years around separation, divorce, and the death of a partner.

Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Aug 04.

Stigmatization of Consensual Non-monogamous Partners: Perceived Endorsement of Conservation or Openness to Change Values Vary According to Personal Attitudes.

David L Rodrigues, Gustavo A Aybar Camposano, Diniz Lopes.

  Studies have shown that romantic partners in consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are targets of stigmatization. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms and the conditions under which such stigmatization occurs. In two experimental studies (combined N = 772), we asked participants to read the description of two partners in a relationship (monogamous vs. open relationship vs. polyamorous) and make a series of judgments about those partners. Overall results showed that CNM (vs. monogamous) partners were perceived as less trustworthy and as having more sexual health concerns (Studies 1 and 2), and as being less committed and less sexually satisfied (Study 2). Results from a conditional mediation analysis (Study 2) further showed that participants with negative attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy perceived CNM (vs. monogamous) partners as having less conservation and more openness to change values, which was then associated with more stigmatization. In contrast, participants with positive attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy perceived CNM (vs. monogamous) partners as having more openness to change values, which was then associated with less stigmatization. Taken together, these results extended the literature focused on prejudice, discrimination, and stigmatization of minority groups and highlighted key elements that can be used to buffer stigmatization.

Keywords:  Attitudes; Conservation; Non-monogamy; Openness to change; Stigmatization; Values

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02368-7
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2022 Aug 01.

Summarized attribute preferences have unique antecedents and consequences.

Aline da Silva Frost, Y Andre Wang, Paul W Eastwick, Alison Ledgerwood.

People have ideas about the attributes (i.e., traits or characteristics that vary along a dimension) that they like in others (e.g., "I like intelligence in a romantic partner"), and these ideas about liking are called summarized attribute preferences (Ledgerwood et al., 2018). But where do summarized preferences come from, and what do they predict? Across four studies, we examined how people form summarized attribute preferences and whether they predict situation selection. We showed participants a series of photographs of faces and assessed both their experienced liking for an attribute (or functional attribute preference) as well as their inference about how much they liked the attribute in the abstract (their summarized attribute preference). Our results suggest that summarized attribute preferences-despite being (weakly) grounded in functional attribute preferences-were affected by incidental aspects of the context in which people learn about them (i.e., the overall likeability of the pool of faces). Furthermore, we observed a double dissociation in the predictive validity of summarized and functional attribute preferences: Whereas summarized attribute preferences predicted situation selection at a distance (e.g., whether to join a new dating website based on a description of it), functional attribute preferences predicted situation selection with experience (e.g., whether to join a new dating website after sampling it). We discuss theoretical and methodological implications for the interdisciplinary science of human evaluation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001242
J Homosex. 2022 Aug 05. 1-27

Emerging Adult LGB+ Romantic Relationships: Narratives about Met and Unmet Relationship Needs.

Candice Feiring, Emily McMahon, Zachary Gall.

  Although emerging adulthood is recognized as a pivotal time for relationship development, most studies concern heterosexual youth or older sexual minority partners. Using narratives from 40 college student emerging adults, we sought to understand the particularities and generalities of lesbian, gay, bisexual and other sexual minority (LGB+) relationship experiences. Positive experiences particular to being in a LGB+ relationship concerned partner support for coming and being out; support from family members for the relationship was rarely mentioned. Negative experiences were twice as likely to be mentioned as positive ones. They concerned how partners being at different levels of outness and problems with family support stressed the relationship. Generalities pertaining to positive relationship factors included meeting needs for support and using perspective taking to deal with conflict. Negative factors included unmet needs for companionship and intimacy and breakup anxiety about whether the relationship had a future. Our findings suggest the importance of developing strength-based LGB+ affirmative education for emerging adults to promote core relationship processes and strengthen skills to cope with stressors specific to sexual minority romantic partnerships.

Keywords:  LGB+ romantic relationships; coming out; emerging adults; family stigma; narratives; perspective taking; relationship needs; support

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2022.2106807
J Sex Marital Ther. 2022 Aug 03. 1-15

Body Image and Sexual Well-Being: A Qualitative Study of Women's Perceptions of Partner and Relationship Influences.

Angela D Weaver, E Sandra Byers.

Women with poorer body image tend to report lower sexual well-being; yet, minimal research has examined interpersonal factors affecting women's body image in the context of sexual activity. We examined women's perceptions of the influence of relationship and partner factors on their body image during sexual activity with their male partner. Semi-structured interviews with 16 young adult women (ages 19-29) revealed that relationship factors (relationship quality and stage) and partner factors (partner's judgment or objectification, compliments from partner, partner's attractiveness, partner's body image, and partner initiation of sexual activity) were perceived as influencing body image in sexual situations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2105768
Br J Soc Psychol. 2022 Aug 01.

Virtually in love: The role of anthropomorphism in virtual romantic relationships.

Mayu Koike, Steve Loughnan, Sarah C E Stanton.

  Romantic relationships are a cornerstone of human nature. Today, these relationships can potentially be fulfilled by virtual agents. Although previous psychological research has examined how human needs can be met by anthropomorphized agents, it has neglected virtual romantic relationships. This paper introduces the concept of romantic anthropomorphism (i.e. giving a non-human agent human-like characteristics in a romantic context) to help understand virtual romance. In three laboratory studies, we used romantic video games (RVGs) to examine how romantic anthropomorphism predicts relationship authenticity, desire for real-world relationship and mood (Studies 1A, 1B and 2) as well as real-world interpersonal behaviour (Study 2). Study 1A revealed that romantic anthropomorphism of a virtual agent predicted desire for a real-world relationship with the virtual agent and greater positive affect via feeling that the relationship built with the virtual agent was authentic. Study 1B replicated these results using a larger sample and a different RVG. Study 2 replicated these results, but revealed that playing RVGs failed to predict real-world behaviour in a subsequent interaction with a human confederate. This research identifies a unique way that people find connection in the modern world and provides novel insight into the fields of anthropomorphism, virtual interactions and relationship science.

Keywords:  anthropomorphism; behaviour; mood; romantic relationships; virtual agents

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12564
PLoS One. 2022 ;17(8): e0268598

Personality growth after relationship losses: Changes of perceived control in the years around separation, divorce, and the death of a partner.

Eva Asselmann, Jule Specht.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that romantic relationships play a crucial role for perceived control. However, we know surprisingly little about changes in perceived control before and after the end of romantic relationships.
METHODS: Based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), a nationally representative household panel study from Germany, we examined changes of perceived control in the years around separation from a partner (N = 1,235), divorce (N = 423), and the death of a partner (N = 437).
RESULTS: Multilevel analyses revealed that external control beliefs were higher in but not beyond the first year after separation from a partner. Internal and total control beliefs increased gradually in the years after separation. Moreover, internal control beliefs were higher in and especially beyond the first year after the death of a partner compared to the years before. No evidence was found that perceived control already changed in the years before relationship losses or in the years around a divorce.
CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings point toward stress-related growth of perceived control after some relationship losses-especially separation and the death of a partner.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268598