Enhanced mirroring upon mutual gaze: Multimodal evidence from TMS-assessed corticospinal excitability and the EEG mu rhythm

Eye-to-eye contact is a salient cue for regulating everyday social interaction and communication. Previous research has demonstrated that direct eye contact between actor and observer specifically enhances the ‘mirroring’ of others’ actions in the observer, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor evoked potentials (MEPs; an index of motor cortex excitability during action observation). However, it remains unknown whether other markers of mirror system activation, such as suppression of the EEG mu rhythm (i.e. attenuation of neural oscillations in the 8-13 Hz frequency band over the sensorimotor strip), are also susceptible to perceived eye contact. In the current study, a multimodal approach was adopted to assess both TMS-induced MEPs and EEG mu suppression (in separate sessions), while 32 participants (20 men; mean age: 24;8 years) observed a simple hand movement in combination with direct or averted gaze from the live stimulus person. Both indices of mirror system functioning were significantly modulated by perceived eye gaze; showing a significant increase in MEP amplitude and a significant attenuation of the mu rhythm when movement observation was accompanied with direct compared to averted gaze. Importantly, while inter-individual differences in absolute MEP and mu suppression scores were not significantly related, a significant association was identified between gaze-related changes in MEP responses and mu suppression. As such, it appears that while the neurophysiological substrates underlying mu suppression and TMS-induced MEP responses differ, both are similarly affected by the modulatory impact of gaze-related cues. In sum, our results suggest that both EEG mu rhythm and TMS-induced MEPs are sensitive to the social relevance of the observed actions, and that a similar neural substrate may drive gaze-related changes in these distinct markers of mirror system functioning.

Men with elevated testosterone levels show more affiliative behaviours during interactions with women

Testosterone (T) is thought to play a key role in male–male competition and courtship in many vertebrates, but its precise effects are unclear. We explored whether courtship behaviour in humans is modulated and preceded by changes in T. Pairs of healthy male students first competed in a non-physical contest in which their T levels became elevated. Each participant then had a short, informal interaction with either an unfamiliar man or woman. The sex of the stimulus person did not affect the participants' behaviour overall. However, in interactions with women, those men who had experienced a greater T increase during the contest subsequently showed more interest in the woman, engaged in more self-presentation, smiled more and made more eye contact. No such effects were seen in interactions with other men. This is the first study to provide direct evidence that elevating T during male–male competition is followed by increased affiliative behaviour towards women.

Contextual cues as a source of response bias in personality questionnaires: The case of the NEO‐FFI

Two experiments demonstrated the susceptibility of a standard personality inventory to response bias elicited by contextual cues. In Study 1, participants who completed the NEO‐FFI in a simulated application for a job stereotypically associated with extraversion (a journalist) scored higher on the extraversion scale than those who completed it under standard instructions. The increase occurred in response to the job label ‘journalist’ and in response to a job description stressing extraversion‐related qualities. In Study 2, a priming procedure was used to elicit cognitive response distortions. Participants exposed to an extraverted stimulus person scored higher on extraversion than participants completing the NEO‐FFI under standard instructions. No effects were found on the remaining scales of the NEO‐FFI. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cell Phones, Clothing, and Sex: First Impressions of Power using Older African Americans as Stimuli

Sex, material possessions, and race have long been associated with prestige or status in American society, yet little research has examined this idea. Little is known about the effect of cell phones on first impressions. In a 2 (cell phone: present, absent) × 2 (clothing: jacket, no jacket) × 2 (sex) between-subjects design, 160 women from a predominantly Black college rated stimuli of older, African Americans on 15 items measuring perceived power on three power subscales: expert, legitimate, and coercive. Multivariate analysis of variance showed a 3-way interaction for clothing, cell phone, and sex of stimulus person.

Enhancement of Images of Possible Memories of Others during Exposure to Circumcerebral Magnetic Fields: Correlations with Ambient Geomagnetic Activity

On the basis of results from a special subject who reported information at a distance during exposure to weak, circumcerebral magnetic fields rotating within the horizontal plane. we designed an experiment to discern if the subjective narratives of normal people exposed to these fields could be similar to the comments of emotionally related individuals who were concurrently generating shared memories about a randomly selected stimulus. Blind matching of the comments indicated that the proportions of 44 students who accurately paired the narratives of the field-exposed subject and the comments of the stimulus person as congruent were statistically significant for 5 of the 7 pairs whose narratives were of sufficient length for analysis. The ratings for congruence of the pairs of verbal behaviors for the 7 pairs of subjects were negatively correlated ( rho = −.72) with the geomagnetic activity during the 24-hr. interval within which the experiences were conducted. The results suggested consciousness might also be an insulator to myriad stimuli which might be accessible when brain activity is modified by circumcerebral magnetic fields with temporal configurations in the order of 20 msec.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF BODILY POSTURE TO GENDER STEREOTYPICAL IMPRESSIONS

The present study investigated the way in which the bodily posture, viz, the sitting position, of men and women contributes to gender stereotypical impressions. We expected that men would more often adopt a “wide” sitting position (legs apart and arms away from the trunk), while women would more often adopt a “closed” sitting position (upper legs against each other and arms against the trunk) and that these sitting positions would generally be seen as masculine or feminine. In the first study the sitting positions of men and women traveling on the Amsterdam Metro (underground railway) were observed. The results showed that men more often sat in a wide position, while women more often displayed a closed sitting position. In the second study, photos of men and women sitting in a wide or a closed position were judged. The results showed that a wide sitting position was considered more masculine and a closed position more feminine. We expected also that (in)consistency between gender and sitting position would have an impact on the impression gained of the stimulus person. The results lend support to this expectation.

Does Human Facial Attractiveness Honestly Advertise Health? Longitudinal Data on an Evolutionary Question

Inspired by the evolutionary conjecture that sexually selected traits function as indicators of pathogen resistance in animals and humans, we examined the notion that human facial attractiveness provides evidence of health. Using photos of 164 males and 169 females in late adolescence and health data on these individuals in adolescence, middle adulthood, and later adulthood, we found that adolescent facial attractiveness was unrelated to adolescent health for either males or females, and was not predictive of health at the later times. We also asked raters to guess the health of each stimulus person from his or her photo. Relatively attractive stimulus persons were mistakenly rated as healthier than their peers. The correlation between perceived health and medically assessed health increased when attractiveness was statistically controlled, which implies that attractiveness suppressed the accurate recognition of health. These findings may have important implications for evolutionary models.