Vivian P. Ta

Latent Semantic Similarity and Language Style Matching in Initial Dyadic Interactions

In the present study, we examined two indices of semantic similarity (i.e., latent semantic similarity [LSS], language style matching [LSM]) to determine their respective roles in initial, unstructured dyadic interactions. Transcripts of the dyad members’ conversations were used to compute the LSS and LSM indices, which were then correlated with various dyad-level behaviors and perceptions. The results suggest that LSS develops out of a highly involving interaction between mutually attentive and acknowledging partners in which a lot of verbal information is exchanged. On the other hand, LSM appears to be a behavior that is not associated with interactional involvement per se but may occur when dyad members are in the grip of a strong emotion and tend to repeat each other’s words and phrases in a relatively thoughtless and automatic manner.

Why (and When) Straight Women Trust Gay Men: Ulterior Mating Motives and Female Competition

Previous findings indicate that heterosexual women experience a greater sense of comfort and trust in their friendships with gay men than in their friendships with heterosexual individuals. In the present studies, we tested a hypothesis that not only explains why women exhibit increased trust in gay men but also yields novel predictions about when (i.e., in what contexts) this phenomenon is likely to occur. Specifically, we propose that gay men’s lack of motives to mate with women or to compete with them for mates enhances women’s trust in gay men and openness to befriend them. Study 1 demonstrated that women placed greater trust in a gay man’s mating—but not non-mating (e.g., career) advice—than in the same advice given by heterosexual individuals. Study 2 showed that women perceived a gay man to be more sincere in scenarios relevant to sexual and competitive mating deception. In Study 3, exposing women to a visualization of increased mating competition enhanced their trust in gay men; when mating competition was salient, women’s trust in mating information from a gay man was amplified. Study 4 showed that women who perceived higher levels of mating competition were more open to befriending gay men. Together, these converging findings support our central hypothesis, which not only provides a distal explanation for the trust that straight women place in gay men, but also provides novel insights into previously unidentified contexts that facilitate the formation and strengthening of this unique bond.

Developing Latent Semantic Similarity in Initial, Unstructured Interactions The Words May Be All You Need

We investigated how same-sex strangers develop latent semantic similarity (LSS)—that is, how they come to use words in the same way—in their initial interactions. In a previous study, Babcock, Ta, and Ickes found evidence suggesting that dyad members’ talking, looking, and acknowledging are important behaviors for the development of dyad-level LSS. Using a different sample of initial interactions, we replicated the major findings of Babcock et al., but found that, in both data sets, only those behaviors that introduced words into the conversation were uniquely predictive of LSS. These findings suggest that “the words may be all you need,” and that LSS might develop as effectively in non–face-to-face (i.e., computer-mediated) conversations in which only words are exchanged as in face-to-face conversations in which nonverbal behaviors are exchanged as well.

Why women wear high heels: Evolution, lumbar curvature, and attractiveness

Despite the widespread use of high-heeled footwear in both developing and modernized societies, we lack an understanding of this behavioral phenomenon at both proximate and distal levels of explanation. The current manuscript advances and tests a novel, evolutionarily anchored hypothesis for why women wear high heels, and provides convergent support for this hypothesis across multiple methods. Using a recently discovered evolved mate preference, we hypothesized that high heels influence women’s attractiveness via effects on their lumbar curvature. Independent studies that employed distinct methods, eliminated multiple confounds, and ruled out alternative explanations showed that when women wear high heels, their lumbar curvature increased and they were perceived as more attractive. Closer analysis revealed an even more precise pattern aligning with human evolved psychology: high-heeled footwear increased women’s attractiveness only when wearing heels altered their lumbar curvature to be closer to an evolutionarily optimal angle. These findings illustrate how human evolved psychology can contribute to and intersect with aspects of cultural evolution, highlighting that the two are not independent or autonomous processes but rather are deeply intertwined.