Evidence for conditional sex differences in emotional but not in sexual jealousy at the automatic level of cognitive processing

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Penke ◽  
Jens B. Asendorpf
Keyword(s):  
Sex Difference ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
Sociocultural Environment ◽  
Lower Education ◽  
Decision Speed

The two evolutionary psychological hypotheses that men react more jealous than women to sexual infidelity and women react more jealous than men to emotional infidelity are currently controversial because of apparently inconsistent results. We suggest that these inconsistencies can be resolved when the two hypotheses are evaluated separately and when the underlying cognitive processes are considered. We studied jealousy with forced‐choice decisions and emotion ratings in a general population sample of 284 adults aged 20–30 years using six infidelity dilemmas and recordings of reaction times. The sex difference for emotional jealousy existed for decisions under cognitive constraint, was also evident in the decision speed, increased for faster decisions, and was stronger for participants with lower education. No evidence for a sex difference in sexual jealousy was found. Our results support the view of a specific female sensitivity to emotional infidelity that canalizes the development of an adaptive sex difference in emotional jealousy conditional to the sociocultural environment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Men's Desire for Children Carrying Their Genes and Sexual Jealousy: A Test of Paternity Uncertainty as an Explanation of Male Sexual Jealousy

2005 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene W. Mathes
Keyword(s):  
Big Five ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Desire For Children ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Women College Students ◽  
Paternity Uncertainty ◽  
Psychology Courses

In a classic study, Buss, Larson, Westen, and Semmelroth found that men were more distressed by the thought of a partner's sexual infidelity (labeled sexual jealousy) and women were more distressed by the thought of a partner's emotional infidelity (labeled emotional jealousy). Buss and his associates explained the results by suggesting that men are concerned about uncertainty of paternity, that is, the possibility of raising another man's child while believing that the child is their own. To test this explanation, the Desire for Children Scale was created. Its internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were .86 and .89, respectively. Scores correlate with stated Number of Children Desired (convergent validity) but none of the Big-Five traits (divergent validity). It was hypothesized that for men scores on this scale would correlate positively with scores on sexual jealousy. The Desire for Children Scale and the two Sexual vs Emotional Jealousy items of Buss and his associates were given to 49 men and 55 women college students enrolled in psychology courses. Their average age was 19.9 yr. ( SD = 3.7), and average year in school was 2.0 ( SD= 1.2). Subjects volunteered to participate in the study in exchange for course credit. The hypothesis was confirmed and gives support to the uncertainty of paternity explanation.

Sex Differences in Jealousy in Evolutionary and Cultural Perspective: Tests From the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States

1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 359-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram P. Buunk ◽  
Alois Angleitner ◽  
Viktor Oubaid ◽  
David M. Buss
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Psychological Model ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy

As predicted by models derived from evolutionary psychology, men within the United States have been shown to exhibit greater psychological and physiological distress to sexual than to emotional infidelity of their partner, and women have been shown to exhibit more distress to emotional than to sexual infidelity Because cross-cultural tests are critical for evolutionary hypotheses, we examined these sex differences in three parallel studies conducted in the Netherlands (N = 207), Germany (N = 200), and the United States (N = 224) Two key findings emerged First, the sex differences in sexual jealousy are robust across these cultures, providing support for the evolutionary psychological model Second, the magnitude of the sex differences varies somewhat across cultures—large for the United States, medium for Germany and the Netherlands Discussion focuses on the evolutionary psychology of jealousy and on the sensitivity of sex differences in the sexual sphere to cultural input

Marital Status as a Candidate Moderator Variable of Male–Female Differences in Sexual Jealousy: The Need for Representative Population Samples

2001 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Voracek
Keyword(s):  
Marital Status ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Moderator Variable ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Eastern Austria

Evolutionary psychological theories predict pronounced and universal male–female differences in sexual jealousy. Recent cross-cultural research, using the forced-choice jealousy items pioneered by Buss, et al., 1992, repeatedly found a large sex differential on these self-report measures: men significantly more often than women choose their mate's imagined sexual infidelity to be more distressing or upsetting to them than an imagined emotional infidelity. However, this body of evidence is solely based on undergraduate samples and does not take into account demographic factors. This study examined male–female differences in sexual jealousy in a community sample ( N = 335, Eastern Austria). Within a logistic regression model, with other variables controlled for, marital status was a stronger predictor for sexual jealousy than respondents' sex. Contrary to previous research, the sex differential's effect size was only modest. These findings stress the pitfalls of prematurely generalizing evidence from undergraduate samples to the general population and the need for representative population samples in this research area.

Relationship between Short-Term Sexual Strategies and Sexual Jealousy

2005 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene W. Mathes
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sexual Strategies ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women Subjects ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy

In a classic study, Buss, Larson, Westen, and Semmelroth reported that men were more distressed by the thought of a partner's sexual infidelity (sexual jealousy) and women were more distressed by the thought of a partner's emotional infidelity (emotional jealousy). Initially, Buss and his associates explained these results by suggesting that men are concerned about uncertainty of paternity, that is, the possibility of raising another man's child while believing the child is their own. However, later they explained the results in terms of men's preference for short-term sexual strategies. The purpose of this research was to test the explanation of short-term sexual strategies. Men and women subjects were instructed to imagine themselves in a relationship which was either short-term (primarily sexual) or long-term (involving commitment) and then respond to Buss's jealousy items. It was hypothesized that, when both men and women imagined a short-term relationship, they would be more threatened by a partner's sexual infidelity, and, when they imagined a long-term relationship, they would be more threatened by a partner's emotional infidelity. Support was found for this hypothesis.

scholarly journals What feeds the green-eyed monster: sociodemographic and sociosexual determinants of jealousy

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Ivana Hromatko ◽  
Marta Fajfarić ◽  
Meri Tadinac
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Continuous Measure ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Context Specific

Although studies consistently show gender differences in emotional vs. sexual jealousy, a substantial part of variance in jealousy is left unexplained. Here, we present two studies with aim to explore other correlates of jealousy, aside from gender. In the first online study (n = 2970), we found that participants who reported being more upset by the emotional infidelity scenario were older and more educated and had a higher income than those who reported being more upset by the sexual infidelity scenario. Those who expressed greater sexual jealousy gave higher ratings of importance of potential partner's mate value. Heterosexual women were more likely to report emotional jealousy than non-heterosexual women. Among men, sexual orientation did not predict type of jealousy. As the role of reproductive status was largely neglected in previous research, in the second study, we used a continuous measure to explore jealousy as a function of age (reproductive vs. post-reproductive; n = 199). We found that the older participants were less jealous overall, and that the previously reported gender differences disappeared in the post-reproductive group. These results provide further support for the notion that jealousy is a context-specific, adaptive response, which diminishes in both intensity and specificity as the threat that it was designed for wanes.

scholarly journals Romantická žárlivost u heterosexuálních a homosexuálních jedinců z pohledu evoluční psychologie

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110
Author(s):  
Kateřina Potyszová ◽  
◽  
Klára Bártová
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Emotional Involvement ◽  
Romantic Jealousy ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Certainty Of Paternity

Jealousy is defined as one of the most common automatic responses to endangering a relationship by a third party, and in evolutionary psychology it has the function of maximizing self-reproduction fitness, ensuring paternity security in men, and maintaining partner's resources in women. These include romantic jealousy, in men assuring certainty of paternity, and in women assuring the maintenance of partner's resources. Thus, according to this logic, a woman’s sexual infidelity should be more threatening for men and a man’s emotional infidelity (emotional involvement with other women than a primary partner) should be more threatening for women. Many previous studies confirm the existence of sex differences in jealousy; men reporting a higher level of sexual jealousy and women reporting a higher level of emotional jealousy. On the contrary, studies of romantic jealousy in homosexual individuals show inconsistent results. Some studies suggest that the type of sexual and emotional jealousy does not depend on the sex of the individual who is jealous, but rather on the sex of the partner or the sex of the rival. Therefore, the aim of this review is to introduce romantic jealousy from an evolutionary perspective and to acquaint the reader with current knowledge of the study of cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects of romantic jealousy in heterosexual and homosexual men and women.

Skipping Breakfast Affects the Early Steps of Cognitive Processing

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118
Author(s):  
Andrés Antonio González-Garrido ◽  
Jacobo José Brofman-Epelbaum ◽  
Fabiola Reveca Gómez-Velázquez ◽  
Sebastián Agustín Balart-Sánchez ◽  
Julieta Ramos-Loyo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Skipping Breakfast

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

Faster Choice-Reaction Times to Positive than to Negative Facial Expressions

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka M. Leppänen ◽  
Mirja Tenhunen ◽  
Jari K. Hietanen
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Happy Face ◽  
Response Onset ◽  
Response Execution ◽  
Onset Response ◽  
Positive Stimuli ◽  
Choice Reaction Times

Abstract Several studies have shown faster choice-reaction times to positive than to negative facial expressions. The present study examined whether this effect is exclusively due to faster cognitive processing of positive stimuli (i.e., processes leading up to, and including, response selection), or whether it also involves faster motor execution of the selected response. In two experiments, response selection (onset of the lateralized readiness potential, LRP) and response execution (LRP onset-response onset) times for positive (happy) and negative (disgusted/angry) faces were examined. Shorter response selection times for positive than for negative faces were found in both experiments but there was no difference in response execution times. Together, these results suggest that the happy-face advantage occurs primarily at premotoric processing stages. Implications that the happy-face advantage may reflect an interaction between emotional and cognitive factors are discussed.

Cognitive Processing of Film Cuts Among 4- to 8-Year-Old Children

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Munk ◽  
Günter Daniel Rey ◽  
Anna Katharina Diergarten ◽  
Gerhild Nieding ◽  
Wolfgang Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Short Film ◽  
Calculation Formula ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Chronological Sequence

An eye tracker experiment investigated 4-, 6-, and 8-year old children’s cognitive processing of film cuts. Nine short film sequences with or without editing errors were presented to 79 children. Eye movements up to 400 ms after the targeted film cuts were measured and analyzed using a new calculation formula based on Manhattan Metrics. No age effects were found for jump cuts (i.e., small movement discontinuities in a film). However, disturbances resulting from reversed-angle shots (i.e., a switch of the left-right position of actors in successive shots) led to increased reaction times between 6- and 8-year old children, whereas children of all age groups had difficulties coping with narrative discontinuity (i.e., the canonical chronological sequence of film actions is disrupted). Furthermore, 4-year old children showed a greater number of overall eye movements than 6- and 8-year old children. This indicates that some viewing skills are developed between 4 and 6 years of age. The results of the study provide evidence of a crucial time span of knowledge acquisition for television-based media literacy between 4 and 8 years.

scholarly journals A Behavioral and Electrophysiological Investigation of Effects of Visual Congruence on Olfactory Sensitivity During Habituation to Prolonged Odors

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 845-854
Author(s):  
Nicholas Fallon ◽  
Timo Giesbrecht ◽  
Anna Thomas ◽  
Andrej Stancak
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Detection Sensitivity ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Odor Perception ◽  
Potential Analysis ◽  
Odor Detection ◽  
Central Processing

Abstract Congruent visual cues augment sensitivity to brief olfactory presentations and habituation of odor perception is modulated by central-cognitive processing including context. However, it is not known whether habituation to odors could interact with cross-modal congruent stimuli. The present research investigated the effect of visual congruence on odor detection sensitivity during continuous odor exposures. We utilized a multimethod approach, including subjective behavioral responses and reaction times (RTs; study 1) and electroencephalography (EEG, study 2). Study 1: 25 participants received 2-min presentations of moderate-intensity floral odor delivered via olfactometer with congruent (flower) and incongruent (object) image presentations. Participants indicated odor perception after each image. Detection sensitivity and RTs were analyzed in epochs covering the period of habituation. Study 2: 25 new participants underwent EEG recordings during 145-s blocks of odor presentations with congruent or incongruent images. Participants passively observed images and intermittently rated the perceived intensity of odor. Event-related potential analysis was utilized to evaluate brain processing related to odor–visual pairs across the period of habituation. Odor detection sensitivity and RTs were improved by congruent visual cues. Results highlighted a diminishing influence of visual congruence on odor detection sensitivity as habituation occurred. Event-related potential analysis revealed an effect of congruency on electrophysiological processing in the N400 component. This was only evident in early periods of odor exposure when perception was strong. For the first time, this demonstrates the modulation of central processing of odor–visual pairs by habituation. Frontal negativity (N400) responses encode the aspects of cross-modal congruence for odor–vision cross-modal tasks.

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