Viktor Oubaid

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

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

Sex, Lies, and Strategic Interference: The Psychology of Deception Between the Sexes

The desires of one sex can lead to deceptive exploitation by the other sex. Strategic Interference Theory proposes that certain “negative” emotions evolved or have been co-opted by selection, in part, to defend against deception and reduce its negative consequences. In Study 1 (N = 217) Americans reported emotional distress in response to specific forms of deception. Study 2 (N =200) replicated the results in a German sample. Study 3 (N =479) assessed Americans’ past experiences with deception and conducted additional hypothesis tests using a procedure to control for overall sex differences in upset. Each study supported the hypothesis that emotions track sex-linked forms of strategic interference. Three clusters of sex differences proved robust across studies—emotional upset about resource deception, commitment deception, and sexual deception. We discuss implications for theories of mating and emotion and directions for research based on models of antagonistic coevolution between the sexes.

How Do Astronaut Candidate Profiles Differ From Airline Pilot Profiles? Results From the 2008/2009 ESA Astronaut Selection

Sixteen years after the second Europe-wide astronaut selection campaign, the European Space Agency started the third campaign by putting out a call for new astronauts in 2008. Due to extreme environmental conditions, expensive scientific experiments, and high public interest, not only are the psychological requirements on a high level, but they are also wide in variety: Besides cognitive and psychomotor requirements, greater importance than in comparable campaigns was put on personality and behavioral aspects, especially regarding interpersonal aspects. The psychological selection was conducted in two steps: Phase 1 concentrated mainly on performance tests and Phase 2 focused on personality and interpersonal behavior. Out of the 902 tested candidates, 46 fulfilled the psychological requirements. Significant differences were found between the astronaut candidates and the general population as well as airline pilot candidates.

Maßgeschneiderte Verfahren psychologischer Eignungsdiagnostik am Beispiel der Pilotenauswahl

Die International Air Transport Association (IATA) hat in 2010 das „Pilot Aptitude Testing Manual“ veroffentlicht,in welchem die empfohlenen Verfahren zur psychologischen Eignungsfeststellung von Piloten beschrieben werden. Aber das Testen psychologischer Eignung ist keine Erfindung der Luftfahrtbranche. Die Auswahl geeigneter Bewerber/innen hat eine mehrtausendjahrige Geschichte. Bereits im alten China (ca. 1100 v. Chr.) mussten sich Bewerber fur gehobene Posten im Staatsdienst in den funf Kunsten Reiten, Musizieren, Bogenschiesen, Schreiben und Rechnen prufen lassen. Platon schlug in seinem “Staat” (2. Buch) eine selektive Platzierung von Menschen in unterschiedlichen Funktionen gemas ihrer individuellen Eigenschaften vor. Der Feldherr Gideon (Gideons Sieg uber die Midianiter im Buch der Richter, Altes Testament) selektierte in zwei Auswahlschritten 300 aus 22.000 Manner nach deren Verhalten.