Nataša Šimić

Changes in Basal Body Temperature and Simple Reaction Times during the Menstrual Cycle

Previous studies have shown cyclic changes in the activation levels and performance of different tasks throughout the menstrual cycle. The aim of this study was to examine if changes in the reaction time to both light and sound stimuli may be associated with basal body temperature changes and subjective assessments of General and High Activation during the different phases of a menstrual cycle characterized by high (preovulatory and midluteal phase) and low (menstrual and early follicular phase) levels of oestrogen and progesterone. The study included measurements of basal body temperature, simple reaction times to light and sound and self-assessment of General and High Activation during the menstrual, early follicular, late follicular and luteal phase. The sample consisted of 19 female subjects with regular menstrual cycles. The results obtained in this study indicate lower basal body temperature values during phases with low sex hormone levels, while the activation assessments suggest stable levels of both General and High Activation throughout the menstrual cycle. Similar patterns of change have been shown for reaction times in visual and auditory sensory modalities. Reaction times were shorter during phases characterized by high sex hormone levels, while phases with low hormone levels were associated with longer reaction times. From the modified text on correlations in the data analysis section, it is evident that they were calculated from averaged data from all phases of the menstrual cycle. Therefore, they do not reflect intraindividual but rather interindividual variations between the observed variables, and are not related to the hypotheses of this paper.

Height and jealousy over partner’s ex and a new rival among coupled men and women

Recent studies suggest that body height has an effect on the intensity of jealousy among men and women. Since short men and both short and tall women are regarded as less attractive, they could be at greater risk of being cheated by their partners and therefore more jealous. Numerous studies have documented sex differences in jealousy about a partner’s sexual and emotional infidelity with a person of the opposite sex. However, the partner’s ex as a rival has been neglected in the literature. Therefore, in this study the relationships between height and jealousy about two types of infidelity among 112 heterosexual men and 314 women were investigated. Infidelity scenarios included two types of rival: new rival and partner’s ex. As expected on the basis of prior studies, men were more jealous of sexual infidelity and women of emotional infidelity. Both sexes reported greater jealousy over a new rival than over partner’s ex. Among men, there were no relationships between height and jealousy, while among women...

The effects of maltreatment in childhood on working memory capacity in adulthood

The aim of this study was to research the relation between exposure to maltreatment in childhood and working memory capacity in adulthood. A survey among 376 females in the age between 16 and 67 was administered. Exposure to maltreatment in childhood (sexual, physical and psychological abuse, neglect and witnessing family violence) was assessed retrospectively using the Child Maltreatment Questionnaire (Karlović, Buljan-Flander, & Vranić, 2001), whilst the Working Memory Questionnaire (Vallat-Azouvi, Pradat-Diehl, & Azouvi, 2012) was used to assess working memory capacity (recalling verbal information, numerical information, attention ability and executive functioning). The results suggest a significantly greater prevalence of physical abuse and witnessing family violence in comparison to other forms of maltreatment in childhood. Psychological abuse and witnessing family violence have shown themselves to be statistically significant predictors for deficits in total working memory capacity, verbal recall and attention ability. The results suggest that traumatic experiences during childhood, such as abuse, may trigger particular cognitive changes which may be reflected in adulthood. It is, therefore, exceedingly important to conduct further research in order to contribute to the understanding of the correlation between cognitive difficulties and maltreatment in childhood.

Moral reasoning and its correlates in job applicants

Abstract The aim of this study was to verify the applicability of the Test of Moral Reasoning (TMR) in the selection of job applicants and to see how it correlated with education, intelligence, and the “big five” personality traits. The study included 210 participants (132 women and 78 men) who applied for various positions in the banking sector. Our findings have confirmed the applicability of TMR for recruitment because they showed that TMR did not allow the candidates to fake their responses. Furthermore, they have confirmed Kohlbergs views that general intelligence and education are the main determinants of moral development (positive correlation), whereas tendency towards socially desirable responding showed a negative correlation.

Stressful Life Events and Psychosomatic Symptoms Among Students Smokers and Non-smokers

The objective of this study is to analyze the rate of stressful life events and psychosomatic symptoms among students smokers and non-smokers and examine the predictive contribution of stress and smoking to subjective health status. Methods were conducted on a convenience sample of 200 students from the University of Mostar, with a median age of 21 (inter-quartile range, three). Exposure to stress was determined using the scale of stressful life events, which assesses social alienation, time pressure, academic failure, everyday social conflicts and academic maladjustment. Psychosomatic symptoms were explored by the questionnaire of psychosomatic symptoms, which assesses gastrointestinal, dermatological, musculoskeletal, pseudoneurological, cardiovascular, flu and cold symptoms. Students were divided into a group of smokers and non-smokers. A group of non-smokers consisted of 101 students who had never smoked, while group of smokers consisted of 99 students who smoke at least three cigarettes per day. The significant differences of results in stressful live events between smokers and non-smokers were obtained for the subscales of social alienation, academic failure and everyday social conflicts. Smokers differed from non-smokers in rate of gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular symptoms and the symptoms of flu and cold. Exposure to stressful life events and smoking were significant predictors of psychosomatic symptoms. The results showed that stressful life events related to academic failure and social relation were important variables in understanding the smoking. Subjective psychological and physical symptoms were most frequently prevalent in smokers compared to non-smokers. Exposure to stressful life events and smoking predicted difficulties in psychological subjective health status.

Sex Hormones and Cognitive Functioning of Women

Spolni hormoni i kognitivno funkcioniranje žena U radu se raspravlja o organizirajućim i aktivirajućim učincima spolnih hormona te o njihovu utjecaju na kognitivno funkcioniranje. Dosadašnja su istraživanja pokazala spolne razlike u nekim specifičnim kognitivnim sposobnostima. Žene su u prosjeku bolje u verbalnoj fluentnosti, perceptivnoj brzini i točnosti, kao i finijoj motorici, dok su muškarci u prosjeku bolji u prostornim i matematičkim sposobnostima. Ove razlike u kognitivnom funkcioniranju dovode se u vezu s izlaganjem mozga fetusa različitim razinama spolnih hormona tijekom prenatalnog života. Studije na skupinama rođenim s genskim poremećajima, kao što su sindrom neosjetljivosti na androgene, kongenitalna adrenalna hiperplazija i Turnerov sindrom također upućuju na organizirajuće učinke spolnih hormona na kognitivno funkcioniranje. Nadalje, dosadašnja istraživanja pokazuju da povišene razine ženskih spolnih hormona u kasnoj folikularnoj i/ili lutealnoj fazi menstrualnog ciklusa potenciraju tipičan ženski kognitivni obrazac funkcioniranja, koji karakterizira veća učinkovitost u zadacima koje u prosjeku bolje rješavaju žene. Niske pak razine ovih hormona, koje karakteriziraju menstrualnu fazu ciklusa, potenciraju tipičan muški obrazac funkcioniranja, koji uključuje bolju učinkovitost u zadacima koje u prosjeku bolje rješavaju muškarci. U radu se također raspravlja o metodološkim razlikama u dosadašnjim istraživanjima organizirajućih i aktivirajućih učinaka spolnih hormona na kognitivno funkcioniranje, kao i o smjernicama za buduća istraživanja. Sex Hormones and Cognitive Functioning of Women This paper discusses the organisational and activational effects of sex hormones, and their influence on cognitive functioning. Previous studies have shown gender differences in specific cognitive abilities. Women generally show an advantage in verbal fluency, perceptual speed and accuracy, as well as in fine motor skills, while men generally show an advantage in spatial and mathematical abilities. These differences in cognitive functioning are thought to occur as a result of foetal brain exposure to different levels of sex hormones during prenatal life. Additional evidence of organisational effects of sex hormones on cognitive functioning also comes from studies of subjects with genetic disorders, such as androgen insensitivity syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and Tyrner syndrome. Furthermore, former investigations have shown that increase in female sex hormone in the late follicular and/or luteal phase of the menstrual cycle intensifies the typical female cognitive pattern of functioning with improved efficiency in tasks which are usually better performed by women. At the same time, low levels of such hormones that characterise the menstrual phase of the cycle intensify the typical male cognitive pattern of functioning with better efficiency in tasks which usually better performed by men. This paper also points to methodological differences between investigations of organizational and activational effects of sex hormones on cognitive functioning, as well a to the direction of future investigations.