bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computerized Tool to Manage Dental Anxiety
Authors: Tellez M. , Potter C.M. , Kinner D.G. , Jensen D. , Waldron E. , Heimberg R.G. , Myers Virtue S. , Zhao H. , Ismail A.I.
Published: July 2015

Anxiety regarding dental and physical health is a common and potentially distressing problem, for both patients and health care providers. Anxiety has been identified as a barrier to regular dental visits and as an important target for enhancement of oral health–related quality of life. The study aimed to develop and evaluate a computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy dental anxiety intervention that could be easily implemented in dental health care settings. A cognitive-behavioral protocol based on psychoeducation, exposure to feared dental procedures, and cognitive restructuring was developed. A randomized controlled trial was conducted ( N = 151) to test its efficacy. Consenting adult dental patients who met inclusion criteria (e.g., high dental anxiety) were randomized to 1 of 2 groups: immediate treatment ( n = 74) or a wait-list control ( n = 77). Analyses of covariance based on intention-to-treat analyses were used to compare the 2 groups on dental anxiety, fear, avoidance, and overall severity of dental phobia. Baseline scores on these outcomes were entered into the analyses as covariates. Groups were equivalent at baseline but differed at 1-mo follow-up. Both groups showed improvement in outcomes, but analyses of covariance demonstrated significant differences in dental anxiety, fear, avoidance, and overall severity of dental phobia in favor of immediate treatment at the follow-up assessment. Of the patients who met diagnostic criteria for phobia at baseline, fewer patients in the immediate treatment group continued to meet criteria for dental phobia at follow-up as compared with the wait-list group. A new computer-based tool seems to be efficacious in reducing dental anxiety and fear/avoidance of dental procedures. Examination of its effectiveness when administered in dental offices under less controlled conditions is warranted ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02081365).
Who Knows Who Cares for Me
Authors: Einat Tomer , Parchev Ofer , Litvin Anat , Michaeli Niv , Zelikovitz Gila
Published: July 2015

One fundamental measure of a liberal democracy concerns its guarantee of civil and health liberties to prisoners. The study examines the Israeli legislation regarding prisoners’ human rights and access to health services, and analyzes the reasons for the gap between the regulations and their de facto implementation. The main findings include the following: (a) A significant gap exists between the Israeli Prison Service formal regulations for prisoners’ civil and health rights and their actual implementation, and (b) the Israeli Prison Service and the Israeli legislation lack a pragmatic instrument aimed at the protection and preservation of Israeli inmates’ fundamental human rights.
Media encoding in science fiction television: Battlestar Galactica as a site of critical cultural production
Authors: Chow-White Peter A. , Deveau Danielle , Adams Philippa
Published: July 2015

We examine the television show Battlestar Galactica ( BSG) through interviews with creative people working on the show to illustrate the production context of the show and the science fiction (sf) genre. Media scholars suggest sf stories are critical stories about our political systems and our anxieties about new technologies, social change, race, gender, class, and religious conflicts. We investigate constraints and agency in the production of BSG as a site of critical cultural commentary and the politics of racial and gender representation in the series. We find that the creators behind BSG struggle with the moral and political nature of the stories they create, within the constraints of power, social structures, and a neoliberal economy and in doing so actively participate in their own acts of meaning-making in the production process.
The Promise of Violence
Authors: Adubato Beth
Published: July 2015

This study asks, “Does a highly identified sports fan feel a strong bond while watching his favorite football players and then exhibit violent, copycat behavior?” Using the media, copycat framework, this research looked at five categories of domestic violence arrests in the city of Philadelphia on Eagles’ “gamedays,” for an 8-hr period, beginning with kick-off time. These relationships were tested using comparison of means tests. The mean average of domestic violence arrests on football was statistically significantly different from both comparison Sundays and other sports’ “gamedays.” As predicted, there was no statistically significant difference between home and away games, removing the possible bias that fans were at the game and then became violent.
Disease‐Specific Survival with Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Authors: Bice Tristan C. , Tran Van , Merkley Mark A. , Newlands Shawn D. , van der Sloot Paul G. , Wu Shuang , Miller Matthew C.
Published: July 2015

Objectives

(1) Determine factors influencing survival in patients diagnosed with spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC), a rare variant of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). (2) Compare survival of patients with SpCC to those with conventional SCC.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database (years 2004‐2009).

Subjects and Methods

Among patients receiving treatment for a single primary in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx, 118 subjects with SpCC and 18,298 subjects with SCC were identified with complete data for the variables of age, sex, grade, tumor size, stage group, and TNM stage. Disease‐specific survival curves were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the effects of each factor on survival over all sites and within each of 3 sites.

Results

Univariate analysis of the combination of the 3 anatomic subsites showed survival with SpCC was worse than with conventional SCC (P <. 001). Three‐year disease‐specific survival with SpCC was 49.5%, and 5‐year disease‐specific survival was 40.2%. Compared with conventional SCC, survival was worse for SpCC of the oral cavity (P <. 001) and oropharynx (P <. 001) but no different for the larynx and hypopharynx site (P =. 15). Multivariate analysis identified age (P =. 02), tumor size (P =. 006), and M stage (P <. 001) as the only variables significantly affecting survival with SpCC. All variables significantly affected survival with conventional SCC.

Conclusions

Spindle cell carcinoma carries a worse prognosis than SCC. Larger tumor size, older age, and metastatic disease portend worse survival with SpCC of the head and neck.
Prognostic Factors and Treatment Outcomes of Parotid Gland Cancer
Authors: Chang Jae Won , Hong Hyun Jun , Ban Myung Jin , Shin Yoo Seob , Kim Won Shik , Koh Yoon Woo , Choi Eun Chang
Published: July 2015

Objective

To investigate the treatment outcomes of parotid gland cancer at a single center over a 10‐year period and to evaluate the prognostic significance of maximum standardized uptake value.

Study Design

Retrospective case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic care center.

Subjects and Methods

Ninety‐eight patients with primary parotid gland cancer who were surgically treated at Yonsei University Head & Neck Cancer Clinic between January 1999 and December 2008 were analyzed. Patient data were collected retrospectively from medical charts. The investigators analyzed the association of clinicopathological factors and maximum standardized uptake value on 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography scan with disease‐specific survival.

Results

Mean patient age was 49.7 years. Mean follow‐up was 48.8 months. Thirty‐three, 40, 30, and 23 patients had stage I, II, III, and IVA disease, respectively. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common histologic type (34.7%), followed by acinic cell carcinoma (27.6%). Eighteen patients (18.4%) experienced recurrences (mean recurrence gap, 20.6 months; range, 2‐87 months). Five‐ and 10‐year disease‐specific survival rates were 93.6% and 81.8%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, pathologic T stage, pathologic lymph node status, resection margin, external parenchymal extension, and maximum standardized uptake value were significantly associated with disease‐specific survival. Pathologic lymph node status and maximum standardized uptake value were independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Our single‐center experience with parotid gland cancer treatment is consistent with the literature. Cervical lymph node metastasis and high maximum standardized uptake value are associated with poor survival in parotid gland cancer.
The Effectiveness of Challenging Skills in Work With Young Offenders
Authors: Trotter Chris , Evans Phillipa , Baidawi Susan
Published: July 2015

Probation officers and others who work with young offenders often challenge or confront their clients in relation to pro-criminal comments and criminal behaviour. There is, however, very little research that can inform practitioners about which forms of challenging most effectively engage young people. This study examines the use of challenging by youth justice workers in New South Wales, Australia. Researchers observed and audiotaped 116 interviews between youth justice workers and their clients with a view to examining the nature of challenging used by workers and the response of young people to different forms of challenging. Qualitative and quantitative findings indicate that the clients were more positively engaged by, and responsive to, challenging that was exploratory, non-blaming, and accompanied by positive reinforcement of their strengths. Excerpts taken from the interviews provide examples of high- and low-level use of the skill of challenging.
Scale Comparability Between Nonaccommodated and Accommodated Forms of a Statewide High School Assessment
Authors: Seo Dong Gi , Hao Shiqi
Published: July 2015

Differential item/test functioning (DIF/DTF) are routine procedures to detect item/test unfairness as an explanation for group performance difference. However, unequal sample sizes and small sample sizes have an impact on the statistical power of the DIF/DTF detection procedures. Furthermore, DIF/DTF cannot be used for two test forms without common items. One of the advantages of person-fit analysis (PFA) is that even with small sample sizes, and/or no common items, PFA can still be utilized to investigate whether different subgroups are on the same scale. This study used simulation data and empirical data from a large-scale state high school assessment to demonstrate test fairness between nonaccommodated and accommodated forms. The results of this study showed that the accommodated form was comparable with the nonaccommodated form within the same construct, and PFA performs well for scale comparability purposes regardless of the size of the subgroups and number of common items.
Effect of enzymatically cross-linked tilapia scale collagen for osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Oh Hwan Hee , Uemura Toshimasa , Yamaguchi Isamu , Ikoma Toshiyuki , Tanaka Junzo
Published: July 2015

Type I collagen is an abundant component of bone tissue that has been used for bone tissue engineering using various cross-linking methods, including chemical agents, ultraviolet irradiation, and dehydrothermal treatment to enhance its physical properties. Collagens derived from mammalian animals are generally not used for implantable scaffolds owing to the potential for zoonotic infection. In addition, the toxicity of cross-linking agents and alteration of inherent properties after cross-linking have been issues. In this study, fish collagen derived from tilapia scales which are free from the risk of infection was employed to fabricate a three-dimensional porous scaffold. Tilapia scale collagen scaffolds were modified using microbial transglutaminase enzyme as a catalyst to preserve the inherent properties of collagen material. Human mesenchymal stem cells were incubated with various substitutes including tilapia scale collagen and porcine collagen–coated cell culture dishes with or without microbial transglutaminase, tilapia scale collagen, and porcine collagen scaffolds cross-linked by microbial transglutaminase. Differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells was verified using alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin assays. A remarkably enhanced expression of osteoblastic differentiation was observed selectively with tilapia scale collagen–coated dishes with/without microbial transglutaminase and tilapia scale collagen collagen scaffold cross-linked by microbial transglutaminase. Thus, the combination of tilapia scale collagen and the microbial transglutaminase cross-linking method will be useful for osteoblastic differentiation and bone tissue engineering.
Enteral Nutrition for Adults in the Hospital Setting
Authors: Kozeniecki Michelle , Fritzshall Rebecca
Published: July 2015

In patients unable to tolerate oral intake, multiple options of nutrient delivery are available to the clinician. Administration of enteral nutrition (EN) has long been considered the standard of care for nutrition support among patients unable to meet energy and protein requirements orally. Healthcare practitioners must make careful decisions related to ordering, administering, and monitoring EN therapy. In the hospital setting, the registered dietitian is a key resource in enteral formula selection and method of administration, monitoring for and troubleshooting EN‐related complications, and transitioning to oral feeding. The hospital setting also presents many unique challenges in providing optimal nutrition to the enterally fed patient.
Compactness versus Sprawl
Authors: Ewing Reid , Hamidi Shima
Published: July 2015

In 1997, the Journal of the American Planning Association published a pair of point–counterpoint articles now listed by the American Planning Association as “classics” in the urban planning literature. In the first article, “Are Compact Cities Desirable?” Gordon and Richardson argued in favor of urban sprawl as a benign response to consumer preferences. In the counterpoint article, “Is Los Angeles-Style Sprawl Desirable?” Ewing argued for compact cities as an alternative to sprawl. It is time to reprise the debate. This article summarizes the literature on urban sprawl characteristics and measurements, causes, impacts, and remedies since the original debate.
Modeling of aluminum particle ignition behavior in open atmosphere rocket propellant fires
Authors: Yilmaz Nadir
Published: July 2015

The study of aluminum particle behavior in an open atmosphere propellant burn is of particular interest when considering accident scenarios for rockets carrying high-value payloads. One of the major difficulties in analyzing the thermal environment that a payload will see is the behavior of aluminum particles, which are a component in the propellant formulation. This research activity focuses on the development of models to rationalize observed aluminum behavior beginning with developing an understanding of particle–wall interaction and wall impingement process using STAR-CCM+, a commercial CFD code. Importance of implementation of aluminum evaporation models and radiation heat transfer are discussed.
Scaffolding in information search: Effects on less experienced searchers
Authors: Theng Yin-Leng , Lee Elizabeth A. , Chu Samuel Kai-Wah , Lee Celina Wing Yi , Chiu Monroe Man-Lung , Chan Randolph C.H.
Published: July 2015

This study aims to investigate how expert scaffolded training could help, from novice postgraduate students’ point of view, and foster development of information search ability among postgraduate students. Using a quasiexperimental design over a year and a half, eight doctoral students (novice searchers) participated in a series of five sessions with an expert searcher who was an information professional. A novice-expert comparison examined the differences between novices and experts in information searching; and the effect of scaffolding sessions in which the expert information searcher helped novice information searchers was examined. Findings showed differences existed between the novice and the expert searchers in use of complex formulation of query statements, choice of keywords, and operators. Scaffolding sessions with the expert searcher resulted in self-reported and observable improvement in information searching among the novice searchers. The paper concludes with a discussion of the design of information retrieval systems and recommendations for library programmes to support the continued development of research students’ information literacy skills.
Theorising India’s South Asian Policy
Authors: Chattopadhyay Pratip
Published: July 2015

International relations (IR) has seen theoretical reshuffling in the wake of changing realities. The process of globalisation initiated a concept of global politics with thrust in de-territoriality replacing the territoriality attached with the term geopolitics. Through the prism of geopolitics, India was the ‘mainland’ of the region and the other states of the region were the ‘hinterland’. With global politics, India again becomes the ‘mainland’ for global economic flows with its immediate neighbours as the ‘hinterland’. With geopolitics, India could afford to have frictions with its regional neighbours, an option that is not open to it with global politics. The article argues that India is reshuffling the South Asian region to meet the realities of global politics and concludes that while at the level of theory IR are changing towards de-territoriality, the ground reality imprints the importance of the realities of geography and demography of big nation states.
Living at the Edge
Authors: Chaudhuri Saswati
Published: July 2015

The issue of poverty eradication, or poverty reduction, has been at the core of development economics over the years. There had been concerted efforts to reduce rural poverty, while urban poverty was given less priority by policy-makers. However, urban areas are not free of the maladies of poverty. Urbanisation of poverty has emerged as a new phenomenon. This article attempts to use the sustainable livelihood framework to analyse changes in the livelihood strategies of the poor in the city of Kolkata. The main objective of the article is to present primary data obtained in field study as well as critical analyses on social and economic situation of urban poor in Kolkata. Due to limitations in its scope, the article does not discuss slum policy and management aspects. This article focuses on urban poverty literature based on sociological, economic and policy dimensions and explores current thinking on these issues of urban poverty.
The Territorial Question in the Naga National Movement
Authors: Das Madhumita
Published: July 2015

The article concerns itself with the current phase of the Indo-Naga peace talks, seemingly rendered intransigent on the contentious issue of administrative integration of contiguous Naga-inhabited areas. It historically examines the ethno-territoriality of the Naga national movement in the states of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. This article finds that notwithstanding the soundness of the claims, Naga territoriality is not a non-negotiable given but an active construction of the changing politics of the movement. The findings suggest that any proposed federal arrangement should balance ethno-territorial urges with historical peculiarities. A substantial measure of non-territorial autonomy, in a mutually binding federal arrangement, would necessitate a redefinition of both Naga ethno-national aspirations and the post-colonial Indian state’s insecurities. However, it holds the potential for sustainable peace in the region.
Role of Sericulturists in the Development of a Village
Authors: Kasi Eswarappa
Published: July 2015

Sericulture has become one of the important means of livelihood for the majority of the farmers in South India, especially in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka, known as the ‘Silk Bowl of India’, occupies the top spot in producing mulberry silk in the country. Andhra Pradesh comes second in mulberry silk production in the country. Both these states have fiercely competed in mulberry silk production, which is a good sign for the sericulturists of these states. It is argued here that the implementation of new schemes in sericulture practice, post Green Revolution, has brought about the overall development of Kotha Indlu, a South Indian village that has become a ‘model village’ in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is further suggested that the fruits of the Green Revolution are not restricted to any one section of the village: all sections of the village have benefited equally, thereby contributing to the overall development of the village.
India and Genetically Modified Crops
Authors: Khan Akram , Salam Md. Abdus , Farhan Mohd.
Published: July 2015

Given the high level of poverty, malnutrition and hunger and the low level of agricultural productivity in India, agricultural biotechnology has great potential. To feed a billion-plus population by relying on conventional methods of cultivation is next to impossible. India is rich in bio-resources and biotechnology offers opportunities for converting biological wealth into economic wealth, thereby creating new employment opportunities on an environmentally and socially sustainable basis. Biotech crops have been cultivated globally for the past two decades with no negative impact on human beings, animals and the environment. The success of Bt cotton in India in the 2000s has set an excellent example of how genetically modified (GM) technology can turn around India’s agriculture sector. Safety of GM crops being a serious issue, it is important to ensure that India has adequate regulatory instruments and infrastructures. At the same time, India has more serious food safety risks to worry about including unsanitary food processing, as well as food security concerns pertaining to the availability and affordability of food. Priority must go to more clearly demonstrated safety risks instead of hypothetical risks.
Transnationalising the Sacred
Authors: Naidu Maheshvari
Published: July 2015

Globalisation and post-colonialism have created new religio-cultural geographies and articulations in many countries. Many aspects of Hindu religion have been transnationally stretched and (re)enacted within new migrant and diasporic spaces, in turn reshaping and somewhat changing how ritual and religious enactments come to be enunciated. This article focuses on the yajna as a plastic and symbolic resource that is enacted in a transnational context and within new idioms and vocabularies of religious expression. The article engages with Lubin’s (2001) thesis that the ‘public’ and visible aspect of yajna functions as a civic ‘spectacle’ and probes the performance element of this so-called ‘spectacle’, and looks at how it becomes re-ritualised and re-enacted to fit the contemporary needs of transnational and diasporic Hindu communities.
“Dulling the Edges”
Authors: Creighton Genevieve , Oliffe John , Matthews Jennifer , Saewyc Elizabeth
Published: July 2015

Background. The death of a male friend can be challenging for men because expressions of grief can be governed and restrained by dominant ideals of masculinity. It is common for young men to engage in health risk practices, such as alcohol overuse, to deal with feelings of sadness. Objective. This qualitative study investigated the ways that young men use alcohol in the process of grieving the accidental death of a male friend. Method. Participants included 35 men 19 to 25 years old and 22 men 26 to 35 years old who participated in individual semistructured interviews between 2010 and 2012. Results. Methodology informed by grounded theory and narrative analysis was used to analyse and interpret the transcribed interviews, focusing on the ways that men used alcohol in the grief process. Through data analysis we inductively derived three themes: (1) Using Alcohol to Dull the Pain, (2) Using Alcohol to Purge Sadness, and (3) Troubled Drinking. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to show that men’s binge drinking following tragic loss is a means to express emotion and connect with others. Health interventions for young men who have lost a male peer need to be sensitive to gendered norms that inform grief practices and work with them to discern pathways toward recovery that promote long-term wellness.
Rethinking the absence of post-Western International Relations theory in India: ‘Advaitic monism’ as an alternative epistemological resource
Authors: Shahi Deepshikha , Ascione Gennaro
Published: July 2015

The transformation of the Eurocentric epistemological base of International Relations, without inadvertently generating a ‘derivative discourse’ of Western International Relations, requires an intellectual flight over rigid boundaries of Western scientism, thereby reorienting the discipline of International Relations itself towards a post-Western epoch. As such, post-Western International Relations theory can be largely viewed as an offspring of scholastic explorations aimed at breaking epistemological imperialism in International Relations. Not surprisingly, the non-Western ‘rising powers’ in global politics are taking particular interest in designing a post-Western International Relations theory. While the notion of ‘Tianxia’ has emerged as a Chinese conceptual response to the budding intellectual curiosity surrounding post-Western International Relations, the Indian scholarly scepticism towards formulating ‘systemic’ theories projects a hazy image of the status of post-Western International Relations theory in India. This article aims at reconsidering the absence of post-Western International Relations theory in India by evaluating the fundamental Indian scriptures as a potential epistemological guide to theorise International Relations. In order to do that, the article awakens the concept of ‘Advaita’ as an untapped epistemological resource. The article is divided into four sections. The first section traces the academic space for post-Western International Relations theorisation in India. The second section evokes the notion of ‘Advaita’ as an epistemological-methodological tool to craft post-Western International Relations theory. The third section compares ‘monism’ as the common underlying epistemological foundation of ‘Tianxia’ and ‘Advaita’. Finally, the fourth section sets out to establish the credentials of ‘Advaitic monism’ as an intellectual strategy to formulate post-Western International Relations theory.
Mate Selection Criteria: A Trait Desirability Assessment Study of Sex Differences in Serbia
Authors: Todosijević Bojan , Ljubinković Snežana , Arančić Aleksandra
Published: July 2015

This paper examines predictions from evolutionary and socio-structural perspectives on sex differences in mate selection criteria on a sample of 127 respondents from Serbia. The respondents, mainly college students, were asked to assess the degree of un/desirability of sixty behavioural and personality traits in a potential mate, on the 7-point Likert type scale. The sexes strongly agree in general ranking of the traits' desirability. The obtained statistically significant differences tend to favour the evolutionary interpretation. The largest differences are in the perceived desirability of thinness, strength, fearfulness, self-pity, fragility, aggressiveness, and beauty. Males perceived all these traits as more desirable (or less undesirable) than females, except that females valued strength more positively. Male respondents are less troubled by negative character traits of a potential partner, while females are less concerned with a partner's physical appearance. The higher status of women correlated positively with their concern with a mate's potential socio-economic status, contrary to the prediction of the socio-structural model.
Perspectives on Human Attachment (Pair Bonding): Eve's Unique Legacy of a Canine Analogue
Authors: Immerman Ronald S. , Mackey Wade C.
Published: July 2015

The mother-child bond is undoubtedly homologous with that of other primates (and mammals). However, the man-woman pair bond and man(to)child pair bond are not paralleled by any terrestrial primate nor many mammals. Hence, knowledge of primate behavior would not be predictive of the pan-human (i) social father and (ii) the extended pair bond between a man and woman (with the cultural overlay of marriage). It is suggested that female choice of mating partner shifted in the direction of a canid analogue in which men's motivations to share resources with the female and to exhibit paternalistic behaviors were positively selected. Accordingly, it would be predicted that, compared to other terrestrial primates, the neuro-hormonal bases for the mother-child affiliative bond would be similar, but the bases of man-woman affiliative bond and the man(to)child affiliative bond would be dissimilar.
Sexual Selection and the Male:Female Mortality Ratio
Authors: Kruger Daniel J. , Nesse Randolph M.
Published: July 2015

This paper extends the evolutionary understanding of sex differences in mortality rates by quantifying and graphically examining the overall Male to Female Mortality Ratio (M:F MR) for 11 specific leading causes of death across age groups in the USA, over the course of the lifespan in 20 different countries, and across the past 70 years in 5 countries. The resulting quantitative descriptions of rates, trends, and the relative contributions of various proximate causes of death to the M:F MR provide an initial exploration of the risks associated with being male. This analysis also illustrates how sex differences shaped by sexual selection interact in complex ways with multiple aspects of culture and environment to yield a pattern that has some consistency across decades and societies, but also has variations arising from differences among cohorts and cultures. The results confirmed our expectations of higher mortality rates for men than for women, especially in early adulthood, where three men died for every woman who died. For external causes the ratios were even higher. Historical mortality data reflect an epidemiological transition in which discrepancies between male and female mortality rates increase as general mortality rates fall. Cross-national variation in the modern M:F MR further suggests a universal pattern that is influenced by cultural and environmental context. Being male is now the single largest demographic risk factor for early mortality in developed countries.
Evolutionary Psychology and the Explanation of Ethnic Phenomena
Authors: Goetze David B. , James Patrick
Published: July 2015

In a recent series of articles, Hislope (1998, 2000) and Harvey (2000a, 2000b) have raised questions about the usefulness of “evolutionary theory” especially for any purpose other than identifying “distal” causes of ethnic phenomena. This article responds to those views and argues that evolutionary psychology shows great promise in contributing to the explanation of contemporary ethnic identities and ethnic conflict. The authors argue that an evolutionary psychology approach embraces research conducted through conventional social science approaches, helps to complete explanations of the proximate causes of ethnic conflict, and can recast thought and encourage new areas of research about important issues in the ethnic conflict field. Illustrations are provided in support of each of these points. Some of these arguments have been heard before with respect to the general role of evolutionary theory in explaining social phenomena but they are arguments we think bear repeating and illustrating in the context of the study of ethnic phenomena. Before examining the ways that evolutionary psychology can contribute to social science explanation of ethnic phenomena, we summarize the general evolutionary psychology approach to the study of social behavior.
Reflections from the Next Generation: These are the Voyages of Students in Evolutionary Psychology
Authors: Fisher Maryanne L. , Kruger Daniel J. , Platek Steven M. , Salmon Catherine
Published: July 2015

There appears to be a common belief among evolutionary psychologists that academic positions may be difficult to obtain. Similar to many contemporary students involved in Evolutionary Psychology (EP), we were concerned as to our academic job prospects. This worry seems to be frequently shared by academic supervisors, as a training in EP may make a student undesirable for future academic positions. As recent students in EP who now possess academic positions, we have reflected upon our experiences to provide advice as to what students and their supervisors can do to improve their employment prospects. We begin by individually discussing our backgrounds, including the details of our current positions, and then come together in the discussion section to offer some suggestions to students and supervisors.
Narcissism Guides Mate Selection: Humans Mate Assortatively, as Revealed by Facial Resemblance, following an Algorithm of “Self Seeking Like”
Authors: Alvarez Liliana , Jaffe Klaus
Published: July 2015

Theoretical studies suggest that mating and pair formation is not likely to be random. Computer simulations suggested that sex among genetically complex organisms requires mate choice strategies for its evolutionary maintenance, to reduce excessive genetic variance produced by out-crossing. One strategy achieving this aim efficiently in computer simulations is assortative mating modeled as “self seeking like”. Another one is selection of “good genes”. Assortative mating increases the probability of finding a genetically similar mate, without fomenting inbreeding, achieving assortative mating without hindering the working of other mate selection strategies which aim to maximize the search for “good genes”, optimizing the working of sex in evolutionary terms. Here we present indirect evidence that in a significant proportion of human reproductive couples, the partners show much higher facial resemblances than can be expected by random pair formation, or as the outcome of “matching for attractiveness” or the outcome of competition for the most attractive partner accessible, as had been previously assumed. The data presented is compatible with the hypothesis derived from computer simulations, that human mate selection strategies achieve various aims: “self seeking like” (including matching for attractiveness) and mating with the best available genes.
Evolutionary Explanations for Societal Differences in Single Parenthood
Authors: Barber Nigel
Published: July 2015

The new research strategy presented in this paper, Evolutionary Social Science, is designed to bridge the gap between evolutionary psychology that operates from the evolutionary past and social science that is bounded by recent history. Its core assumptions are (1) that modern societies owe their character to an interaction of hunter-gatherer adaptations with the modern environment; (2) that changes in societies may reflect change in individuals; (3) that historical changes and cross-societal differences are due to the same adaptational mechanisms, and (4) that different social contexts (e.g., social status) modify psychological development through adaptive mechanisms. Preliminary research is reviewed concerning historical, societal, and cross-national variation in single parenthood as an illustration of the potential usefulness of this new approach. Its success at synthesizing the evidence demonstrates that the time frames of evolutionary explanation and recent history can be bridged.
The Effect of Age on Death Disgust: Challenges to Terror Management Perspectives
Authors: Fessler Daniel M.T. , Navarrete C. David
Published: July 2015

Proponents of Terror Management Theory (TMT) argue that many facets of disgust serve to defend against existential anxiety accompanying cognizance of one's mortality. Because the passage of time brings death closer, this view predicts that the intensity of disgust elicited by reminders of death should increase with age. Skeptical of TMT, we conducted Internet-based studies using the instrument created by TMT proponents. Results reveal that age is negatively, not positively, correlated with death disgust sensitivity, a pattern consistent with adaptive habituation rather than terror management. The same result was obtained using in-person administration of the instrument in Costa Rica, a society characterized by attitudes toward death that differ from those of the U.S. Additional work in Costa Rica demonstrated that, contrary to TMT predictions, attention to one's own death need not increase disgust reactions to the body or its products. Both the evocative power of death stimuli and the negative effects of age on death disgust are consistent with the argument that disgust is an adaptation motivating disease avoidance rather than a psychodynamic defense mechanism.
Normative Bias and Adaptive Challenges: A Relational Approach to Coalitional Psychology and a Critique of Terror Management Theory
Authors: Navarrete Carlos David , Fessler Daniel M.T.
Published: July 2015

Adherence to ingroup ideology increases after exposure to death-related stimuli, a reaction that proponents of terror management theory (TMT) explain as a psychological defense against the uniquely human existential fear of death. We argue that existential concerns are not the relevant issue; rather, such concepts can be subsumed under a larger category of adaptive challenges that prime coalitional thinking. We suggest that increases in adherence to ingroup ideology in response to adaptive challenges are manifestations of normative mental representations emanating from psychological systems designed to enhance coordination and membership in social groups. In providing an alternative to TMT, we (1) explain why the theory is inconsistent with contemporary evolutionary biology, (2) demonstrate that mortality-salience does not have the unique evocative powers ascribed to it by TMT advocates, and (3) discuss our approach to coalitional psychology, a framework consistent with modern evolutionary theory and informed by a broad understanding of cultural variation, can be employed to help account for both the corpus of results in TMT research and the growing body of findings inconsistent with TMT's predictions.
Politics as Sex: The Old Testament Case
Authors: Betzig Laura
Published: July 2015

In The Origin of Species and Selection in Relation to Sex, Darwin predicted that success in competition would lead to success in reproduction. In the 20th century CE, that relationship was looked for around 700 times, and almost always found. Sometime after the 10th century BCE, it had already been written into the Bible. In the Old Testament, powerful men-patriarchs, judges, and kings-have sex with more wives; they have more sex with other men's women; they have sex with more concubines, servants and slaves; and they father many children. Bible authors knew that sex and power went together: on his way out of Egypt, Moses warned that a king might ‘multiply wives for himself (Deuteronomy 17:17); and when David took Israel over from Saul, he was given his ‘master's wives’ along with his master's house (2 Samuel 12:8). Throughout the Old Testament, people act on a mandate to reproduce. From Genesis to the prophets, they do their best to ‘be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:28).
Introductory Psychology Texts as a View of Sociobiology/Evolutionary Psychology's Role in Psychology
Authors: Cornwell R. Elisabeth , Palmer Craig , Guinther Paul M. , Davis Hasker P.
Published: July 2015

Sociobiology and its descendant evolutionary psychology (EP) have struggled to gain ground within the social sciences over the past 30 years. While some have heralded the Triumph of Sociobiology ( Alcock, 2001 ), others have critiqued it as a poor approach to understanding human behavior and would prefer that a Darwinian perspective remain outside the domain of human social sciences. We attempt to assess just how successful (or not) it has been by examining how it has been covered in introductory psychology textbooks over the past 30 years. Our findings indicate that a Darwinian perspective has gained influence and acceptance within the field of psychology over the past three decades. However, we also find that EP as a sub-discipline is often perceived as narrowly defined and limited to research on mating strategies. We address how these perceptions may affect the future of EP, and possible steps needed to increase both the acceptance and importance of evolutionary theory to psychology.
An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective on Cultures of Honor
Authors: Shackelford Todd K.
Published: July 2015

A key element of cultures of honor is that men in these cultures are prepared to protect with violence the reputation for strength and toughness. Such cultures are likely to develop where (1) a man's resources can be thieved in full by other men and (2) the governing body is weak and thus cannot prevent or punish theft. Historically a herding culture operating outside of formal government, the southern United States has a rich culture of honor. In this article, I briefly review research conducted by Nisbett, Cohen, and colleagues on the southern culture of honor. I then present several important but unanswered questions about the development and maintenance of the southern culture of honor. I next argue that current models of the development and maintenance of cultures of honor and violence can be informed by an evolutionary psychological perspective. I conclude with a tentative evolutionary psychological analysis of the development and maintenance of the southern culture of honor.
Non-Euclidean Navigational Strategies of Women: Compensatory Response or Evolved Dimorphism?
Authors: Silverman Irwin , Choi Jean
Published: July 2015

The proposition underlying this study was that females' use of topographical, rather than Euclidean navigational strategies emanate from a separate evolved mechanism rather than a compensatory response due to lesser Euclidean abilities. In support of this contention, it was found that, in terms of ontogenetic development, females' advantages in object location memory emerged during the same age interval as their greater use of a landmark route learning strategy, while the male advantage in Euclidean abilities appeared during the same age interval as their greater use of an orientation route learning strategy.
The Intensity of Human Body Odors and the MHC: Should We Expect a Link?
Authors: Wedekind Claus , Seebeck Thomas , Bettens Florence , Paepke Alexander J.
Published: July 2015

It is now well established that genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) somehow affect the production of body odors in several vertebrates, including humans. Here we discuss whether variation in the intensity of body odors may be influenced by the MHC. In order to examine this question, we have to control for MHC-linked odor perception on the smeller's side. Such a control is necessary because the perception of pleasantness and intensity seem to be confounded, and the causalities are still unsolved. It has previously been found that intense odors are scored as less pleasant if the signaler and the receiver are of MHC-dissimilar type, but not if they are of MHC similar type. We argue, and first data suggest, that an effect of the degree of MHC-heterozygosity and odor intensity is likely (MHC-homozygotes may normally smell more intense), while there is currently no strong argument for other possible links between the MHC and body odor intensity.
No, it Ain't Gonna Be like That
Authors: Kanazawa Satoshi
Published: July 2015

For cultural, social, and institutional reasons, Asians cannot make original contributions to basic science. I therefore doubt Miller's prediction for the Asian future of evolutionary psychology. I believe that its future will continue to be in the United States and Europe.
Do Some Taxa Have Better Domain-General Cognition than others? A Meta-Analysis of Nonhuman Primate Studies
Authors: Deaner Robert O. , van Schaik Carel P. , Johnson Valen
Published: July 2015

Although much recent attention has focused on identifying domain-specific taxonomic differences in cognition, little effort has been directed towards investigating whether domain-general differences also exist. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of published nonhuman primate cognition studies, testing the prediction that some taxa outperform others across a range of testing situations. First, within each of nine experimental paradigms with interspecific variation, we grouped studies by their procedures and the characteristics of their study subjects. Then, using Bayesian latent variable methods, we tested whether taxonomic differences consistently held within or across paradigms. No genus performed especially well within particular paradigms, but genera differed significantly in overall performance. In addition, there was evidence of variation at higher taxonomic levels; most notably, great apes significantly outperformed other lineages. These results cannot be readily explained by perceptual biases or any other contextual confound and instead suggest that primate taxa differ in some kind of domain-general ability.
Emotions and Actions Associated with Altruistic Helping and Punishment
Authors: Eldakar Omar Tonsi , Wilson David Sloan , O'Gorman Rick
Published: July 2015

Evolutionary altruism (defined in terms of fitness effects) exists in the context of punishment in addition to helping. We examine the proximate psychological mechanisms that motivate altruistic helping and punishment, including the effects of genetic relatedness, potential for future interactions, and individual differences in propensity to help and punish. A cheater who is a genetic relative provokes a stronger emotional reaction than a cheater who is a stranger, but the behavioral response is modulated to avoid making the transgression public in the case of cheating relatives. Numerous behavioral differences are not accompanied by emotional differences, suggesting that other psychological mechanisms dictate the specific response to emotion-provoking events. Paradoxically, there is a positive correlation between temptation to cheat and propensity to punish others for cheating, leading to a concept of “selfish punishment” that has been substantiated by a computer simulation model. This study demonstrates that fictional scenarios can provide an important methodological tool for studying the psychological basis of helping and punishment.
Explaining Below-Replacement Fertility and Increasing Childlessness in Wealthy Countries: Legacy Drive and the “Transmission Competition” Hypothesis
Authors: Aarssen Lonnie W. , Altman Stephanie Tzipporah
Published: July 2015

We propose a novel evolutionary perspective for explaining why, in most wealthy countries, female fertility has recently dropped below replacement level, with an increasing incidence of childlessness. Our hypothesis is based on the proposition that throughout human evolution, behaviors that promoted gene transmission (offspring production), and hence fitness, have involved not just those associated with a strong “sex drive,” but also those associated with a strong “legacy drive”—the desire to “leave something of oneself for the future. Because of this intrinsic legacy drive, we argue, humans (and males, in particular) have been inherently vulnerable for “side-tracking” into other activities that promote “meme transmission” — i.e., activities perceived as providing a lasting legacy of “self through investment in career development, accumulation of wealth and status, and several other activities that have potential to impact on the thoughts and actions of others in both current and future generations. Humans engage in meme transmission, therefore, at the potential expense of time, energy, and resources for investing in gene transmission. Based on evolutionary arguments, we discuss why realized competition between gene transmission and meme transmission has emerged significantly only in recent human history, why meme transmission is presently winning out in wealthy countries — thus accounting for below-replacement fertility and increasing childlessness — and why natural selection can be expected in the near future to generate a significant shift in the fertility-promoting behaviors of humans.