Male Faces Research Articles

Perceptual Cue Weighting Is Influenced by the Listener's Gender and Subjective Evaluations of the Speaker: The Case of English Stop Voicing.

Speech categories are defined by multiple acoustic dimensions and their boundaries are generally fuzzy and ambiguous in part because listeners often give differential weighting to these cue dimensions during phonetic categorization. This study explored how a listener's perception of a speaker's socio-indexical and personality characteristics influences the listener's perceptual cue weighting. In a matched-guise study, three groups of listeners classified a series of gender-neutral /b/-/p/ continua that vary in VOT and F0 at the onset of the following vowel. Listeners were assigned to one of three prompt conditions (i.e., a visually male talker, a visually female talker, or audio-only) and rated the talker in terms of vocal (and facial, in the visual prompt conditions) gender prototypicality, attractiveness, friendliness, confidence, trustworthiness, and gayness. Male listeners and listeners who saw a male face showed less reliance on VOT compared to listeners in the other conditions. Listeners' visual evaluation of the talker also affected their weighting of VOT and onset F0 cues, although the effects of facial impressions differ depending on the gender of the listener. The results demonstrate that individual differences in perceptual cue weighting are modulated by the listener's gender and his/her subjective evaluation of the talker. These findings lend support for exemplar-based models of speech perception and production where socio-indexical features are encoded as a part of the episodic traces in the listeners' mental lexicon. This study also shed light on the relationship between individual variation in cue weighting and community-level sound change by demonstrating that VOT and onset F0 co-variation in North American English has acquired a certain degree of socio-indexical significance.

Social Support Influences Preference for Feminine Facial Cues in Potential Social Partners : A Replication

Attractive facial cues are preferred by most but, interestingly, people tend to find certain facial features more attractive depending on the context. This replication of Watkins and colleagues (2012) investigates how priming different social support conditions influences preferences for feminized or masculinized faces. In this study, 124 participants were recruited to complete an online survey where they were asked to imagine a time they felt socially isolated (low support condition) or a time they felt emotionally supported (high support condition). Participants were then shown 20 pairs of masculinized and feminized versions of the same face and were asked to rate attractiveness. Overall, feminine female faces and masculine male faces were significantly preferred. We did not replicate the finding that femininity is preferred under conditions of low social support. Future research is needed to make conclusions about how perceived social support influences our perception of faces.

Impact of Cyber Bullying on Political Behavior and Youth’s Perceptions about Use of Social Media by Political Parties of Pakistan

Purpose: Present study analyses social media users’ perceptions about presence of cyber bullying in political contents on Facebook and Twitter. In the presence of social media cells of political parties, this study designed to analyze impact of cyber bullying on political behavior of users.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: Present study utilized survey research techniques and data from 300 male and female social media users was collected through a well-designed questionnaire.
 Findings: Major findings indicate consistent use of social media by youngster and users believe that there is rise in political contents on social media. Social media bullying is creating a political divide among supporters of different political parties. Bullying contents creating hatred, enmity, hostility, aggression and anger against supporters of other parties. Users are the view that offensive language, photo shopped images, impersonation, spoofing, misleading facts are faced by users in political contents. Results also reveal that male users face more offensive language as compared to female users of social media due to wider friendship circle.
 Implications/Originality/Value: It is evident from the finding that bullying, trolling and memes has emerged as new way of political agenda setting and major area to reinforce voters about certain political ideology in the context of Pakistan’s political atmosphere.

Featural vs. Holistic processing and visual sampling in the influence of social category cues on emotion recognition

ABSTRACT Past research demonstrates that emotion recognition is influenced by social category cues present on faces. However, little research has investigated whether holistic processing is required to observe these influences of social category information on emotion perception, and no studies have investigated whether different visual sampling strategies (i.e. differences in the allocation of attention to different regions of the face) contribute to the interaction between social cues and emotional expressions. The current study aimed to address this. Participants categorised happy and angry expressions on own- and other-race faces, and male and female faces. In Experiments 1 and 2, holistic processing was disrupted by presenting inverted faces (Experiment 1) or part faces (Experiment 2). In Experiments 3 and 4 participants’ eye-gaze to eye and mouth regions was also tracked. Disrupting holistic processing did not alter the moderating influence of sex and race cues on emotion recognition (Experiments 1, 2, 4). Gaze patterns differed as a function of emotional expression, and social category cues, however, eye-gaze patterns did not reflect response time patterns (Experiments 3 and 4). Results indicate that the interaction between social category cues and emotion does not require holistic processing and is not driven by differences in visual sampling.

Symmetric in the striate but asymmetric in the extrastriate cortex when processing three-quarter faces: Neural underpinnings for aesthetic appreciations.

Faces and their aesthetic appreciation are a core element of social interaction. Although studies have been made on facial processing when looking at faces with different perspectives, a direct comparison of faces in the left to the right perspective is missing. Portraits in classical Western art indicate a preference of the left compared to the right perspective, but the neural underpinnings of such an asymmetry still have to be clarified. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the current study focuses on the processing of three-quarter faces seen with different perspectives. Seventeen participants were asked to passively look at photographs of six male and six female faces with a neutral expression; the photographs were taken from the left, right, and frontal perspectives while keeping their focus on the eyes. The results showed that specific brain areas were involved in processing the three-quarter faces in either symmetric or asymmetric ways. Viewing left and right three-quarter faces resulted in two mirror-like activations in the striate cortex corresponding to the symmetric layout of the left and right perspectives. Viewing the left face resulted additionally in an enhanced activation also in the left extrastriate cortex. The right perspective of male faces elicited a lower activation compared to other perspectives in face-selective areas of the brain. Our findings suggest that the preference of the left three-quarter face emerges already in the early visual pathway presumably prior to facial identification, emotional processing, and aesthetic appreciation. Our observations may have general importance in disentangling different neural components and processing stages in the spatiotemporal characteristics of artistic expressions.

Sex Differences in Adult Facial Three-Dimensional Morphology: Application to Gender-Affirming Facial Surgery.

Background: Gender-affirming facial surgery (GFS) is pursued by transgender individuals who desire facial features that better reflect their gender identity. Currently, there are a few objective guidelines to justify and facilitate effective surgical decision making. Objective: To quantify the effect of sex on adult facial size and shape through an analysis of three-dimensional (3D) facial surface images. Materials and Methods: Facial measurements were obtained by registering an atlas facial surface to 3D surface scans of 545 males and 1028 females older than 20 years of age. The differences between male and female faces were analyzed and visualized for a set of predefined surgically relevant facial regions. Results: On average, male faces are 7.3% larger than female faces (Cohen's D = 2.17). Sex is associated with significant facial shape differences (p < 0.0001) in the entire face as well as in each sub-region considered in this study. The facial regions in which sex has the largest effect on shape are the brow, jaw, nose, and cheek. Conclusions: These findings provide biologic data-driven anatomic guidance and justification for GFS, particularly forehead contouring cranioplasty, mandible and chin alterations, rhinoplasty, and cheek modifications.

Body image of male college athletes: the role of uniforms and socio-cultural ideals on the perceptions of body image

ABSTRACT This study explored male athletes’ body image perceptions and how sociocultural influences and athletic uniforms may contribute to their perception. An open-ended survey was used to gather information from 75 current and former football athletes. Study results showed that athletes perceive inconsistencies between their own bodies and the ‘ideal’ male body, that sociocultural images and comments from others strongly influence athletes’ perceptions of their bodies, and that football athletic uniforms also affect athletes’ body images. This study contributes to an under-investigated area of research concerning male athletes and body image. The researchers discussed the body image issues male athletes face and offered suggestions for more inclusive athletic uniform marketing and athletic programs.

An investigation of a novel broad autism phenotype: increased facial masculinity among parents of children on the autism spectrum.

The broad autism phenotype commonly refers to sub-clinical levels of autistic-like behaviour and cognition presented in biological relatives of autistic people. In a recent study, we reported findings suggesting that the broad autism phenotype may also be expressed in facial morphology, specifically increased facial masculinity. Increased facial masculinity has been reported among autistic children, as well as their non-autistic siblings. The present study builds on our previous findings by investigating the presence of increased facial masculinity among non-autistic parents of autistic children. Using a previously established method, a ‘facial masculinity score’ and several facial distances were calculated for each three-dimensional facial image of 192 parents of autistic children (58 males, 134 females) and 163 age-matched parents of non-autistic children (50 males, 113 females). While controlling for facial area and age, significantly higher masculinity scores and larger (more masculine) facial distances were observed in parents of autistic children relative to the comparison group, with effect sizes ranging from small to medium (0.16 ≤ d ≤ .41), regardless of sex. These findings add to an accumulating evidence base that the broad autism phenotype is expressed in physical characteristics and suggest that both maternal and paternal pathways are implicated in masculinized facial morphology.

S(k)in in the game: Investing Responsibly in the Face of Risk

This letter deals with responsible decision making: Will model presence and risk influence investment in socially responsible funds? We conducted a choice-based experiment in which participants were invited to allocate their portfolio across three investments: a socially responsible fund, a sin fund or a safe account. The risk of the SRI and sin fund was manipulated across treatment (high or low), as well as the presence of a model face (woman, man or without). We find that SRI choice was positively influenced by the presence of a masculine face. A higher level of risk of the sin fund relative to the SRI one favors greater investment in SRI. On the opposite, a higher level of risk of the SRI relative to the sin fund reduces investment in SRI, apart for highly ethically-minded consumers, who invest in SRI and shun sin stock without consideration for risk.

Sexual dimorphism and hyaluronic acid treatments of male patients

There are several differences between the male and female face. These differences are found not only in the three thirds of the face, but also in all topographic layers. When studying the skull of both genders, we can see that the male skull is bigger, heavier and has more volume than the female. From top to bottom, when we analyze the superior third of the face, we can see the frontal region is completely different in male and female craniums. The female frontal region is more vertical and rectified with the frontal eminence well pronounced. The male frontal region is more oblique, does not have the pronounced frontal eminence superiorly, but has an important protrusion above the superior orbital rim, called the supraorbital ridge (Figure 1). This gives the frontal region an irregular surface on profile view and is an important sign of ageing since it becomes more prominent in elderly patients.

Androstadienone influences women’s perception of happiness and anger on same-sex faces: Preliminary findings

This study investigated whether androstadienone (AND) influences women’s emotional perception of potential mates and rivals in a manner that promotes women’s reproductive success. Sixty participants (29 in the fertile phase and 31 in the luteal phase) rated their perception of happiness, sadness, anger and sexual arousal from male and female neutral faces during exposure to AND or control solution on two consecutive days. The results showed that AND led women to perceive neutral female faces as unhappier, regardless of their menstrual cycle phase. In addition, AND led women in the fertile phase (i.e., periovulatory phase) to perceive more anger from neutral female faces. Further, no AND-effects were found on the emotional perception of male faces, nor were there perceptions of the sadness or sexual arousal in female faces. These findings may suggest that AND influences women’s cognitive processing that can benefit women from staying away from potential threats or preparing to reduce the costs of intrasexual competition.

Introducing the female Cambridge face memory test - long form (F-CFMT+).

The Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) is one of the most used assessments of face recognition abilities in the science of face processing. The original task, using White male faces, has been empirically evaluated for psychometric properties (Duchaine & Nakayama, 2006), while the longer and more difficult version (CFMT+; Russell et al., 2009) has not. Critically, no version exists using female faces. Here, we present the Female Cambridge Face Memory Test – Long Form (F-CFMT+) and evaluate the psychometric properties of this task in comparison to the Male Cambridge Face Memory Test – Long Form (M-CFMT+). We tested typically developing emerging adults (18 to 25 years old) in both Cambridge face recognition tasks, an old-new face recognition task, and a car recognition task. Results indicate that the F-CFMT+ is a valid, internally consistent measure of unfamiliar face recognition that can be used alone or in tandem with the M-CFMT+ to assess recognition abilities for young adult White faces. When used together, performance on the F-CFMT+ and M-CFMT+ can be directly compared, adding to the ability to understand face recognition abilities for different kinds of faces. The two tasks have high convergent validity and relatively good divergent validity with car recognition in the same task paradigm. The F-CFMT+ will be useful to researchers interested in evaluating a broad range of questions about face recognition abilities in both typically developing individuals and those with atypical social information processing abilities.

A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans.

Humans are sexually dimorphic: men and women differ in body build and composition, craniofacial structure, and voice pitch, likely mediated in part by developmental testosterone. Sexual selection hypotheses posit that, ancestrally, more 'masculine' men may have acquired more mates and/or sired more viable offspring. Thus far, however, evidence for either association is unclear. Here, we meta-analyze the relationships between six masculine traits and mating/reproductive outcomes (96 studies, 474 effects, N = 177,044). Voice pitch, height, and testosterone all predicted mating; however, strength/muscularity was the strongest and only consistent predictor of both mating and reproduction. Facial masculinity and digit ratios did not significantly predict either. There was no clear evidence for any effects of masculinity on offspring viability. Our findings support arguments that strength/muscularity may be sexually selected in humans, but cast doubt regarding selection for other forms of masculinity and highlight the need to increase tests of evolutionary hypotheses outside of industrialized populations.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Preference for Male Facial Masculinity in Gay Men in China

Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Preference for Male Facial Masculinity in Gay Men in China

\u201cHe was the one with the gun!\u201d Associative memory for white and black faces seen with weapons

Much research has found that implicit associations between Black male faces and aggression affect dispositional judgments and decision-making, but there have been few investigations into downstream effects on explicit episodic memory. The current experiment tested whether such implicit associations interact with explicit recognition memory using an associative memory paradigm in younger and older adults. Participants studied image pairs featuring faces (of Black or White males) alongside handheld objects (uncategorized, kitchenware, or weapons) and later were tested on their recognition memory for faces, objects, and face/object pairings. Younger adults were further divided into full and divided attention encoding groups. All participants then took the race faces implicit association test. Memory for image pairs was poorer than memory for individual face or object images, particularly among older adults, extending the empirical support for the age-related associative memory deficit hypothesis (Naveh-Benjamin in J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cognit 26:1170–1187, 2000) to associations between racial faces and objects. Our primary hypothesis—that older adults’ associative memory deficit would be reduced under Black/weapon pairings due to their being schematically related stimuli—was not confirmed. Younger adults and especially older ones, who were predominantly White, exhibited an own-race recognition bias. In addition, older adults showed more negative implicit bias toward Black faces. Importantly, mixed linear analyses revealed that negative implicit associations for Black faces predicted increased explicit associative memory false alarm rates among older adults. Such a pattern may have implications for the criminal justice system, particularly when weighting eyewitness testimony from older adults.

Beyond the beauty of occlusion: medical masks increase facial attractiveness more than other face coverings

The sanitary-mask effect (Miyazaki and Kawahara in Jpn Psychol Res 58(3):261–272, 2016) is the finding that medical face masks prompt an image of disease and thus result in lower ratings of facial attractiveness of the wearer. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical masks have been found to increase attractiveness (Patel et al. in Plast Reconstruct Surg Glob Open 8(8), 2020) although this could have been a general effect of occlusion. To further explore this issue, female participants were presented with a series of male faces of low or high attractiveness that were occluded with a medical mask, cloth mask, book or not occluded and asked to rate them on attractiveness. The results show that faces were considered as most attractive when covered by medical masks and significantly more attractive when occluded with cloth masks than when not occluded. Contrary to expectation, base attractiveness did not interact with the type of occlusion, suggesting that this is not simply due to occlusion of negative features. The present findings are contrary to the sanitary-mask effect and explanations in terms of social desirability, and the association of medical masks with caregiving professions is explored.

Facial and body sexual dimorphism are not interconnected in the Maasai

BackgroundIn this paper, we investigate facial sexual dimorphism and its’ association with body dimorphism in Maasai, the traditional seminomadic population of Tanzania. We discuss findings on other human populations and possible factors affecting the developmental processes in Maasai.MethodsFull-face anthropological photographs were obtained from 305 Maasai (185 men, 120 women) aged 17–90 years. Facial shape was assessed combining geometric morphometrics and classical facial indices. Body parameters were measured directly using precise anthropological instruments.ResultsSexual dimorphism in Maasai faces was low, sex explained 1.8% of the total shape variance. However, male faces were relatively narrower and vertically prolonged, with slightly wider noses, narrower-set and lower eyebrows, wider mouths, and higher forehead hairline. The most sexually dimorphic regions of the face were the lower jaw and the nose. Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), measured in six known variants, revealed no significant sexual dimorphism. The allometric effects on facial traits were mostly related to the face growth, rather than the growth of the whole body (body height). Significant body dimorphism was demonstrated, men being significantly higher, with larger wrist diameter and hand grip strength, and women having higher BMI, hips circumferences, upper arm circumferences, triceps skinfolds. Facial and body sexual dimorphisms were not associated.ConclusionsFacial sex differences in Maasai are very low, while on the contrary, the body sexual dimorphism is high. There were practically no associations between facial and body measures. These findings are interpreted in the light of trade-offs between environmental, cultural, and sexual selection pressures.

Adolescents' First Impression Preference Based on Facial Expression

In normal times, people can make relatively accurate first impressions of others through their faces in a very short time. However, this period of adolescence is a special period of rapid human development, and their preferences also fluctuate greatly, so they will have different first impressions of different emotional faces. This experiment selected happy, angry and calm faces from the Chinese Affective Picture System customized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A total of 59 adolescents over 16-18 years old rated their faces according to the Big Five personality. The results showed that except conscientiousness, the other four big five personality traits were significantly different among positive, neutral and negative facial emotions, and males scored higher than females in all five personality traits. Also, female faces scored higher than male faces on conscientiousness and openness. By understanding the forming preferences of first impression of adolescents, the group that often contacts with adolescents can improve the way they communicate with adolescents, and also let adolescents learn the correct way to judge others and avoid being influenced by stereotypes and other people's opinions.

Stress, workplace bullying, and career decision of male nursing students: a qualitative inquiry of male undergraduate nursing students

Background: This study aims to understand and explore the relationships between stress, workplace bullying, and experiences of male nursing students in South Korea. A shortage of nursing professionals is currently a significant problem in the health and social care system. Although the government has established enrolment plans and scholarships for potential nursing students, long-term solutions still have not been found. The number of newly registered male nursing professionals is still significantly low. Based on the self-efficacy approach and social cognitive career and motivation theory, three research questions guided this study: (1) What are the sources of stress for male nursing students in South Korea? (2) How would male nursing students describe their position, role, and experience as male individuals in South Korea? (3) Do gender role, gender discrimination, gender bias, and gender inequality influence the experience of male nursing students in South Korea? Method: With the qualitative inquiry, 20 male nursing undergraduate students were invited. The results indicated that stress from the gender role, discrimination and social bias due to their gender and nursing position caused the relationships between stress, workplace bullying, and career decision. Results: Based on the results, male nursing students face stress, burnout, pressure, and gender bias, which may influence their career decision and long-term development. Conclusion: Therefore, government departments, university leaders, medical facilities managers, and human resource planners should take this study as the opportunity to reform and polish the government policies and regulations to answer the gender discrimination and bias in the health and social care profession.

CEO Facial Masculinity, Fraud, and ESG: Evidence from South Korea

CEO Facial Masculinity, Fraud, and ESG: Evidence from South Korea