Anthony E. Coy

Why is low waist-to-chest ratio attractive in males? The mediating roles of perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability

Past research suggests that a lower waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) in men (i.e., narrower waist and broader chest) is viewed as attractive by women. However, little work has directly examined why low WCRs are preferred. The current work merged insights from theory and past research to develop a model examining perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability as mediators of to WCR-attractiveness relationship. These mediators and their link to both short-term (sexual) and long-term (relational) attractiveness were simultaneously tested by having 151 women rate one of 15 avatars, created from 3D body scans. Men with lower WCR were perceived as more physically dominant, physically fit, and better able to protect loved ones; these characteristics differentially mediated the effect of WCR on short-term, long-term, and general attractiveness ratings. Greater understanding of the judgments women form regarding WCR may yield insights into motivations by men to manipulate their body image.

Commitment to the environment and student support for “green” campus initiatives

Past research has demonstrated that commitment to the environment strongly predicts global pro-environmental intentions. This research is the first to examine whether the commitment to the environment model predicts college students’ endorsement of institutional-level changes that may be proposed by university or college administration. Participants were 96 college men and 142 college women who completed questionnaires designed to assess commitment to the environment constructs, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and support for a series of campus conservation initiatives. A path analysis revealed that the commitment model predicted college students’ endorsement of hypothetical “green” campus initiatives. Specifically, commitment to the environment mediated the paths from satisfaction and investments to hypothetical green campus initiatives. Results suggest that endorsement of green campus initiatives may be better received on campuses by students who recognize their interdependence with the environment, characterized by high commitment to the natural environment.

Moderated Mediation Path Analysis of Mexican Traumatic Brain Injury Patient Social Functioning, Family Functioning, and Caregiver Mental Health

OBJECTIVE To examine the system of connections among traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient social functioning, family functioning, and caregiver depression and burden in Mexico. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING A public medical facility. PARTICIPANTS Mexican TBI patient-caregiver dyads (N=84) participated in this study. Most of the patients with TBI were men (81%), with an average age ± SD of 38.83±13.44 years. The majority of caregivers (86%) were women, with an average age ± SD of 51.74±11.29. INTERVENTION Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Outcomes assessed included family functioning (Family Satisfaction Scale), patient social functioning (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey), and caregiver mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Zarit Burden Interview). RESULTS A moderated mediation path model found that patient social functioning and family functioning predicted caregiver burden, and caregiver burden mediated the effect of family functioning on caregiver depression. Caregivers with strong family functioning tended to have low burden, no matter the level of patient social functioning. This path model provided an excellent fit and explained 47% of the variance in caregiver burden and 36% of the variance in caregiver depression. CONCLUSIONS In Mexico, strong family functioning is an important buffer in the relationship between TBI patient social functioning deficits and caregiver mental health, especially because familism is a core value in Latino culture. Rehabilitation interventions designed to strengthen family functioning may improve caregiver mental health, thereby influencing the quality of informal care that caregivers are able to provide.

Satisfaction, Investment, and Alternatives Predict Entrepreneurs' Networking Group Commitment and Subsequent Revenue Generation

Prevailing wisdom across the body of research regarding social ties suggests that quantity matters. However, this logic is less applicable in formal networking groups, which have a bounded (and stable) membership. In such a setting, we argue that the quality of an entrepreneurs relationship with the networking group is what matters. Accordingly, we suggest that the networking group setting is one in which core tenets of the literature need refining. Consistent with our predictions, findings from a sample of 279 entrepreneurs across 25 separate networking groups demonstrated that entrepreneurs’ affective commitment to the group mediated the relations among (1) satisfaction with their group, (2) investment in their group, and (3) perceptions of alternatives to their group with the outcome of percentage of revenue generated from the networking group. These data provide insight into the psychological and behavioral antecedents of performance for entrepreneurs in networking groups: entrepreneurs who are more affectively committed to their networking groups are more likely to experience gains in revenue attributed to the group. We discuss the implications of these findings as well as offer multiple directions for future work.

Promotion- and Prevention-Focused Networking and Its Consequences for Entrepreneurial Success

Building and using social networks is an important factor in individuals’ personal as well as professional success. In the present work, we examine how individuals’ regulatory focus relates to their networking behavior. Findings from a sample of 300 entrepreneurs across 25 networking groups showed that a general focus on motivations for growth and advancement (promotion) predicted an increase in out-degree centrality (i.e., how much weekly, business-related contact entrepreneurs had with members in their own networking group), whereas a general focus on motivations for safety and security (prevention) predicted a decrease in out-degree centrality. Moreover, greater out-degree centrality further predicted an increase in the revenue entrepreneurs generated from members in their networking group. These findings demonstrate how individual differences affect personal motivations for how entrepreneurs’ develop and use their business networks and highlight the importance of motivations for growth and security in relationship formation and maintenance more generally.

Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance Influence Pet Choice and Pet-directed Behaviors

ABSTRACT Attachment theory is a useful lens through which to examine both perceptions and selection of companion animals. Study 1 compared perceptions of dogs and cats, and found that dogs were perceived as having more positive relationship qualities and secure attachment-related characteristics, whereas cats were perceived as having more negative relationship qualities and avoidant attachment-related characteristics. In addition, people perceived relationships with dogs to involve less avoidance and less anxiety relative to relationships with people. In study 2, which built on the findings of study 1, attachment avoidance was negatively associated with wanting to own a pet, whereas attachment anxiety was positive associated with wanting to own a pet. These attachment dimensions were not associated with wanting to own a dog, but lower avoidance and higher anxiety were associated with wanting to own a cat. Study 3 was a longitudinal study of SPCA-type shelter visitors (510 participants, with 169 reporting a recent pet adoption). Lower attachment anxiety predicted recently adopting a dog rather than a cat, though neither anxiety nor avoidance predicted adopting a cat. Individuals who wanted a pet in order to facilitate human relationships were more likely to adopt a dog than a cat. Those high in attachment avoidance reported turning to their pet as a replacement for human companionship, and those high in attachment anxiety reported feeling more concern about their pets requiring more attention. Attachment anxiety and avoidance may influence the decision whether or not to adopt a pet, as well as the motivation underlying the adoption choice. Attachment also may influence the type of pet chosen (i.e., dog versus cat). In addition, attachment may influence the nature of the human–animal relationship, such as the time spent together, and the security felt regarding the relationship.

People feel worse about their forgiveness when mismatches between forgiveness and amends create adaptation risks

Building on principles of evolutionary psychology and sociometer theory, we propose that people feel worse about the extent to which they have forgiven when their forgiveness level increases their risk of exploitation or their risk of spoiling a valuable relationship. We predicted that people would feel worse about their forgiveness level when they grant a high level of forgiveness to a perpetrator who has made weak (vs. strong) amends, thereby heightening their risk of exploitation (H1). We also predicted that people would feel worse about their forgiveness level when they grant a low (vs. high) level of forgiveness to a perpetrator who has made strong amends, thereby putting the value of their relationship with the perpetrator at risk (H2). We conducted a longitudinal study of transgressions occurring in romantic relationships and two experiments to test these ideas. H1 was supported in two of the three studies; H2 was supported in all three. A mini meta-analysis indicated that both effects were reliable across the program of research. These results suggest that feelings about one’s forgiveness level serve a functional purpose: Feeling bad about one’s forgiveness level signals that the current combination of amends and forgiveness levels may be causing an adaptation risk.