Search

Background Sexuality research on the sexual practices of women who have sex with women (WSW) has thus far mostly centered on risk factors and addressed a limited number of practices, with a focus on oral sex and insertive vaginal sex.Aim This study arises from the need to fill such a significant gap, which prevents researchers, clinicians, and policy makers from being adequately up-to-date on the sexual habits and tendencies of this population.Methods A multiple-choice questionnaire was completed by 723 WSW with a mean (SD) age of 29.14 (6.94) years.Outcomes The survey included closed questions on sexual practices, including genital and oral sex, but also nongenital sexual contact (petting and intercrural sex), anal sex, and kinky practices.Results The most common sexual practices were self-masturbation (99.03%), oral sex (performed or received, 98.20%), and insertive genital sex (performed or received, 89.07%). Half of our sample had tried kinky practices at least once in a lifetime (51.31%). Respondents tended to experiment sexually more with stable partners rather than with casual ones. Comparisons among practices in the lesbian and bisexual population are presented.Clinical Implications Providers should be aware that sexual orientations have their own specificities, including sexuality and practices, which should increase their knowledge and comfort in working with sexual minorities.Strengths and Limitations The novel topic of the study addresses the gap in sexuality research among WSW. Strengths include the sex-positive approach, the inclusion of an array of sexual practices, and the consideration of the specificities of the group. Limitations in the generalization of the results are the cross-sectional design and the explicit topic, which may have kept some persons from responding.Conclusion We propose the framing of sex as going beyond genital contact, and we invite clinicians and researchers who come into contact with WSW to be aware that sexual orientation

The present work investigates pupillary reactions induced by exposure to faces with diferent levels of trustworthiness. Participants’ (N=69) pupillary changes were recorded while they viewed white male faces with a neutral expression varying on facial trustworthiness. Results suggest that reward processing and pupil mimicry are relevant mechanisms driving participants’ pupil reactions. However, when including both factors in one statistical model, pupil mimicry seems to be a stronger predictor than reward processing of participants’ pupil dilation. Results are discussed in light of pupillometry evidence

Although the study of the affective components involved in predicting physical activity is spreading faster and faster, there is a lack of studies testing their role when promoting physical activity through message interventions. In the present study, we considered these components by focusing on how anticipated affective reactions and emotional processing of the messages influence receivers’ affective attitude toward physical activity, concurrent behavior, and future intention. A sample of 250 participants was involved in an intervention relying on prefactual (i.e., “If ... then...”) messages promoting physical activity. All messages were sent through a research app and were focused on the expected consequences of exercising (or not exercising). Four experimental conditions involving messages differing as to their outcome sensitivity framing (i.e., gain, non-loss, non-gain, and loss) were compared to a control condition. Results showed that reading gain and non-gain messages enhanced the positive affective attitude toward physical activity, compared to control. Enhanced affective attitude after the intervention increased, in turn, self-reported physical activity and future intention. Interestingly, gain messages were even more persuasive for people with a low level of positive anticipated affective reactions. Furthermore, their effectiveness was especially attributable to the elicitation of hope in receivers. Discussion focuses on the advantages of considering affective components and their implications when promoting physical activity.

Some trans people experience gender dysphoria, which refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one's gender assigned at birth and one's gender identity. People who are trans masculine or nonbinary assigned-female-at-birth may pursue multiple domains of gender affirmation, including surgical affirmation (e.g., masculine chest reconstruction, penile reconstruction, etc.). The present study aimed to investigate the possible factors involved in trans people's desire to undergo gender-affirming genital surgery. Trans masculine and nonbinary participants (N = 127; mean age = 26.90) were recruited through a web-based survey and completed self-report instruments (i.e., the Internalized Transphobia subscale of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure, the Trans Positive Identity Measure, the Gender Congruence and Life Satisfaction Scale, an ad hoc scale on transnormativity, and a single-item on desire to undergo genital affirmation surgery). A path analysis showed that higher levels of internalized transphobia led to more significant genital discomfort via a dual parallel mediation of transnormativity and positive identity. Moreover, this genital discomfort fueling pattern was the most significant predictor of the desire to undergo genital surgery as the effect of internalized transphobia was fully mediated by increased genital discomfort. Findings are discussed in the light of the recent strand of research on gender dysphoria as a multifaceted construct, with social components.

The worldwide spread of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) since December 2019 has posed a severe threat to individuals well-being. While the world at large is waiting that the released vaccines immunize most citizens, public health experts suggest that, in the meantime, it is only through behavior change that the spread of COVID-19 can be controlled. Importantly, the required behaviors are aimed not only at safeguarding one s own health. Instead, individuals are asked to adapt their behaviors to protect the community at large. This raises the question of which social concerns and moral principles make people willing to do so. We considered in 23 countries (N = 6948) individuals willingness to engage in prescribed and discretionary behaviors, as well as country-level and individual-level factors that might drive such behavioral intentions. Results from multilevel multiple regressions, with country as the nesting variable, showed that publicized number of infections were not significantly related to individual intentions to comply with the prescribed measures and intentions to engage in discretionary prosocial behaviors. Instead, psychological differences in terms of trust in government, citizens, and in particular toward science predicted individuals behavioral intentions across countries. The more people endorsed moral principles of fairness and care (vs. loyalty and authority), the more they were inclined to report trust in science, which, in turn, statistically predicted prescribed and discretionary behavioral intentions. Results have implications for the type of intervention and public communication strategies that should be most effective to induce the behavioral changes that are needed to control the COVID-19 outbreak.

Face processing has mainly been investigated by presenting facial expressions without any contextual information. However, in everyday interactions with others, the sight of a face is often accompanied by contextual cues that are processed either visually or under different sensory modalities. Here, we tested whether the perceived trustworthiness of a face is influenced by the auditory context in which that face is embedded. In Experiment 1, participants evaluated trustworthiness from faces that were surrounded by either threatening or non-threatening auditory contexts. Results showed that faces were judged more untrustworthy when accompanied by threatening auditory information. Experiment 2 replicated the effect in a design that disentangled the effects of threatening contexts from negative contexts in general. Thus, perceiving facial trustworthiness involves a cross-modal integration of the face and the level of threat posed by the surrounding context.

La prima impressione è spesso basata su informazioni limitate che sono estratte automaticamente dall’aspetto dei target. Una classe di giudizi particolarmente importante è quella relativa al giudizio di trustworthiness. Data la sua importanza, siamo in grado di formarci un’impressione di trustworthiness già dopo 33ms di esposizione al volto della persona target. Inoltre il giudizio riguardante la trustworthiness si forma più velocemente dei giudizi riguardanti altre dimensioni della percezione sociale (eg. Dominanza, competenza e piacevolezza). In letteratura altri studi mostrano evidenze riguardanti un vantaggio nel ricordo di volti untrustworthy che supera il vantaggio attribuito a volti che variano lungo altre dimensioni di percezione sociale. In aggiunta è stato dimostrato che la trustworthiness di un volto può predire risposte di approccio o evitamento nell’osservatore. Nella maggior parte degli studi che indagano la percezione di trustworthiness i volti vengono presentati per un breve momento sullo schermo del computer e ai partecipanti è chiesto di categorizzarli. Di conseguenza la percezione di trustworthiness estratta dal volto è spesso considerata come una caratteristica che viene elaborata in maniera relativamente indipendente dal contesto. Tuttavia i volti non vengono mai incontrati in assenza di un contesto nella vita di tutti i giorni. Il presente lavoro cerca di estendere la letteratura precedente indagando come informazioni contestuali possano impattare la percezione di trustworthiness estratta dai volti. A tal scopo abbiamo condotto 8 esperimenti e 5 pretest (N = 691) basati sia su misure che rilevano l’outcome della percezione (eg. Giudizi espliciti e categorizzazioni) che su misure sensibili al processo sottostante (eg. Mouse-tracking). I risultati dei singoli esperimenti e una meta-analisi condotta sull’intero set di dati mostrano che le informazioni contestuali collegate alla minacciosità influenzano il giudizio di trustworthiness. Il p, Our impressions of others are often based on limited information that is spontaneously and automatically extracted from their faces. An important class of inferences concerns judgments of trustworthiness. As such, people start discriminating trustworthiness after 33ms of exposure to a face and the detection of trustworthiness in faces is faster than the detection of a variety of other characteristics, including dominance, likeability, and competence. People show a memory advantage for faces varying on trustworthiness compared with those varying on likeability, friendliness, and dominance and facial trustworthiness predicts basic approach/avoidance responses. In the vast majority of studies examining facial trustworthiness, faces are flashed on the computer screen, and categorization of trustworthiness quickly ensues. In other words, evaluation of facial trustworthiness is often thought to be based on facial features and relatively immune to context cues. However, we rarely encounter an isolated facial expression in the real world. The present dissertation aimed at complementing and extending prior research evidence by investigating whether contextual information may impact the perception of facial trustworthiness. We conducted 8 main experiments and 5 pretests (N = 691) combining outcome based measures (i.e., ratings and explicit evaluations) with process-sensitive measures (i.e., mouse tracking). Results of each single experiment and the meta-analysis of the whole experimental data show that contextual threat information influences the evaluation of facial trustworthiness. We showed the specificity of threat information proving that the effects we found goes over and beyond negative information more in general. Thus, contextual threat information promoted the evaluation and categorization of facial untrustworthiness. By contrast, threatening contextual cues disrupted the processing of trustworthy faces. Moreover, our data suggested that such an integration occurs a

During social interactions, people look into each other’s eyes to grasp emotional signals. Accordingly, prior research has shown that the eyes reveal social messages that influence interpersonal communication. Here, we tested whether variations in a subtle eye signal – pupil size – influence people’s conforming behavior. Participants performed an estimation task in light of the estimation provided by another individual whose pupil size had been manipulated. The distance between the two estimations was taken as an index of spontaneous conformity. Results revealed that participants conformed more strongly toward individuals with large pupils than toward individuals with small or medium pupils. These findings suggest that pupil size is a source of social influence that impacts upon spontaneous interpersonal conducts.

The eyes reveal important social messages, such as emotions and whether a person is aroused and interested or bored and fatigued. A growing body of research has also shown that individuals with large pupils are generally evaluated positively by observers, while those with small pupils are perceived negatively. Here, we examined whether observed pupil size influences approach-avoidance tendencies. Participants performed an Approach-Avoidance Task using faces with large and small pupil sizes. Results showed that pupil size influences the accuracy of arm movements. Specifically, individuals were less prone to approach a face with small pupils than a face with large pupils. Conversely, participants were less prone to avoid a face with large pupils than a face with small pupils. Collectively, these findings suggest that perceivers attend to a facial cue–pupil size–when interacting with others.

A substantial body of literature on economic games (e.g., the Ultimatum Game) has consistently demonstrated that individuals strongly reject unfairness even at the price of personal utility. In four experiments we investigated the influence of social categorization and membership on economic decision-making and inequality aversion. Specifically, we used a modified version of the Third Party Ultimatum Game, in which participants played the role of responder and were instructed to make decisions for themselves or another individual (i.e. the receiver of the economic offer) who was an ingroup or outgroup member. Experiments 1–2 (N = 173) showed that the participants were more likely to accept unequal-advantageous offers when the receivers were ingroup rather than outgroup members. Experiment 3 (N = 121) supported previous findings and suggested the intervening role played by perceived intergroup competition. Experiment 4 (N = 61) explored the effect boundary conditions. Findings revealed that, even when responder's utility is linked to the receiver's utility, the receiver's membership exerted its influence when the responders were highly identified with the ingroup. A final small-scale meta-analysis confirmed the robustness of our findings. Taken together, these results integrate research on economic decision-making and intergroup bias and suggest that the utility target's membership can resolve the conflict between inequality aversion and utility maximization

Evaluation of facial trustworthiness is often thought to be based on facial features and relatively immune to visual context. However, we rarely encounter an isolated facial expression in the real world. In 3 Experiments using a mouse-tracking paradigm, participants were asked to categorize the trustworthiness of faces that were shown against either threatening, negative but unthreatening, or neutral scenes. Results showed that visual scenes systematically altered the categorization of facial trustworthiness. The trajectory of hand movements reflected the compatibility of facial trustworthiness and contextual threat cues of the scene. Trajectories were facilitated when facial cues and contextual cues were compatible (e.g., untrustworthy face in a threatening scene), and were partially attracted to the context-associated response when incompatible (e.g., trustworthy face in a threatening scene). Thus, the evaluation of facial trustworthiness involves dynamic updates of gradual integration of the face and the level of threat posed by the visual context

La presente ricerca propone un nuovo metodo basato sui Big Data per tracciare l’immagine di un insieme di Università italiane (la brand perception, ossia la percezione che ne ha il grande pubblico) attraverso l’uso di Twitter. Più precisamente è stata indagata la percezione di account appartenenti a università italiane lungo diverse dimensioni come la ricerca, l’internazionalizzazione, l’occupabilità dei suoi laureati, ecc. L’intero lavoro poggia sul calcolo di un punteggio (social perception score) che associa gli account delle università a specifiche dimensioni e sulla successiva mappatura dello spazio multidimensionale dove gli account target si vanno a collocare. Tale punteggio viene definito tramite la similarità tra l’account d’interesse (ossia ciascuna delle Università) e una serie di account prototipici della specifica dimensione (es. per la dimensione occupabilità sono stati selezionati account di agenzie per il lavoro, ordini professionali e dei relativi Ministeri). Ciò ci ha permesso, e permette a chiunque utilizzi questo metodo, di declinare le dimensioni in accordo con le specifiche caratteristiche dell’ambiente sociale che si vuole esplorare o con gli specifici obiettivi per i quali si impiega questa tecnica. I social perception score sono calcolati sulla base di un Jaccard similarity coefficient, il quale indica la sovrapposizione tra i follower degli account target e i follower degli account prototipici della relativa dimensione. Questi indici di similarità sono ponderati per l’inversa della numerosità totale dei follower di ogni account prototipico allo scopo di massimizzare l’impatto della specificità dell’account sul social perception score. Successivamente gli account target sono stati aggregate tramite una cluster analisi gerarchica allo scopo di segmentarli sulla base della loro similarità. Questa tecnica sfrutta la natura eminentemente quantitativa del social perception score calcolando le distanze tra gli account target in base ai diversi pun

Two Experiments investigated the influence of social categorization on economic decision-making and inequity aversion. Specifically, we employed a modified version of the third party Ultimatum Game comprising three roles: 1 - a Proposer who splits resources between himself and a Receiver; 2 - a Receiver who is the final beneficiary of the offer; 3 - a Responder who make the decision about the offer acceptance or rejection. If the offer is accepted resources are split as proposed and if it is refused participants gain nothing. Since in the latter case utility is no longer maximized a violation of the standard economic theory occurs. In both Experiments participants played the role of responder and were asked to make decisions for themselves or for another person, either an ingroup or an outgroup member. Group membership varied between-participants and was induced according to the minimal group paradigm. The first Experiment (N=96) showed that people are prone to reject unfair offers that are advantageous for the proposer and to accept unfair offers that are advantageous for the receiver. Moreover, the findings revealed that participants were more likely to accept unfair-advantageous offers when the receivers were ingroup rather than outgroup members. The second Experiment (N=61) investigated weather group identification moderated the relationship between social membership, utility and economic decision-making. Moreover, we employed a design where in third party versions the utility of the participant was bounded to the receiver’s one. Thus, a rejection would affect both the receiver’s utility and the participant’s gain. Analyses on the responses to different offers of the Ultimatum Game and on reaction times consistently showed that individuals tend to be less likely to accept an advantageous offer when they play for an outgroup member than when they decide for themselves or for an ingroup member. Moreover, this effect is stronger for those who were highly identified

La massimizzazione dell’utilità e l’avversione all’inequità sono due fattori fondamentali per il processo di decisione in ambito economico. La crescente disparità nella distribuzione della ricchezza suggerisce un’esplorazione sistematica di come queste forze interagiscano nella presa di decisione. Il presente lavoro analizza il ruolo della membership e degli agenti economici nel determinare il tradeoff tra utilità ed equità (Messick & Schell, 1992), manipolandola mediante il paradigma dei gruppi minimali (Tajfel, Billig, Bundy & Flament, 1971).Abbiamo esaminato come la corrispondenza tra l’appartenenza sociale del decisore e del target dell’utilità possa far prevalere uno o l’altro dei fattori. Il primo studio (N=96) disambigua l’effetto dei due fattori nella decisione. Il paradigma sperimentale utilizzato è quello dell’Ultimatum Game (UG) (Güth Schmittberger & Schwarze, 1982) per la condizione di controllo e del Third Party Ultimatum Game (Third Party UG) (Civai, Rumiati & Rustichini, 2013) per le due condizioni sperimentali dove viene manipolata l’appartenenza di chi riceve l’utilità (stessa appartenenza del decisore per la condizione ingroup e appartenenza opposta per la condizione outgroup) e disambiguati gli effetti di utilità ed equità. Il secondo studio (N=61) testa il ruolo dell’identificazione con l’ingroup nel processo di presa di decisione. I decisori altamente identificati con l’ingroup sono disposti a rinunciare a parte della propria utilità pur di respingere l’inequità favorevole per l’outgroup. Abbiamo modificato le condizioni sperimentali facendo combaciare l’utilità del decisore con quella del ricevente in modo che un rifiuto dell’inequità comporti una diminuzione dell’utilità sia del ricevente che del decisore stesso.

Local skateboarders in Bandung still play skateboard on the streets since they consider to not have a designated/adequate space to practice their passion. Although the government addressed this issue by building the 1st skatepark only in 2014, it ended up being largely neglected/unused for its bad overall design and for being too small for accommodating the increasing number of skateboarders. The failure of such a skatepark was also due to the wrong/poor quality materials and construction techniques implemented, since no skilled-labor has been exploited. On the other hand, even well-designed/built skateparks sometimes fail to meet skateboarders’ needs. This is due to the nature of skateboarding, being a creative and evolutive discipline that continuously demands different grounds, obstacles, heights, generally speaking an increasing level of challenges. Currently, skateparks fail to facilitate interactions between skateboarders and other city users, while fostering the already common idea of skateparks as social “ghettos”. Conversely, architects can potentially think the design of a skatepark as an architectural challenge, being an interactive public space with specific topological requisites and social implications. The design target envisions the merging of a skatepark into an architectural multipurpose building. By doing so, the resulting hybrid-building helps skateboarders and cityusers to dialogue, thus becoming an attractive “urban facilitator” of functions in the city on different levels. The skatepark merges at the level of the roof of the hosting building to ensure a certain degree of physical separation while still allowing the two parts to dialogue. The multipurpose building is considered as adaptable since it can host a manifold number of fix functions (mosque, distro shops, bar-lounge, hostel, workshops) as well as pop-up or temporary ones (food stalls, spontaneous meetings, playground for young and elders, skate events) that take place in different per, Architectural Engineering, Architecture, Architecture and The Built Environment