It Is Hard to Read Minds without Words: Cues to Use to Achieve Empathic Accuracy

When faced with the task of trying to “read” a stranger’s thoughts, what cues can perceivers use? We explore two predictors of empathic accuracy (the ability to accurately infer another person’s thoughts): use of stereotypes about the target’s group, and use of the target’s own words. A sample of 326 White American undergraduate students were asked to infer the dynamic thoughts of Middle Eastern male targets, using Ickes’ (Ickes et al. 1990) empathic accuracy paradigm. We predicted use of stereotypes would reduce empathic accuracy because the stereotypes would be negative and inaccurate. However, more stereotypical inferences about the target’s thoughts actually predicted greater empathic accuracy, a pattern in line with past work on the role of stereotypes in empathic accuracy (Lewis et al. 2012), perhaps because the stereotypes of Middle Easterners (collected from a sample of 60 participants drawn from the same population) were less negative than expected. In addition, perceivers who inferred that the targets were thinking thoughts that more closely matched what the target was saying out loud were more empathically accurate. Despite the fact that words can be used intentionally to obscure what a target is thinking, they appear to be a useful cue to empathic accuracy, even in tricky contexts that cross cultural lines.

Perceived Prototypicality of Asian Ethnic Subgroups in the United States and the United Kingdom

Asians, despite their diverse ethnic compositions (i.e., South Asians, East Asians, Southeast Asians, and Middle Easterners), are monolithically categorized under one broad racial label. But this Asian label may be differentially used. Some ethnic subgroups are perceived to be more prototypically Asian than others and cultural contexts may further shape such perception. With historically longstanding presence of East Asians in the United States and South Asians in the United Kingdom, we theorized that the perceived prototypicality of different Asian subgroups in the two countries would reflect these respective historical saliencies. Three studies (N = 849) examined the cultural differences between Americans and British in their perceptions of Asian subgroups in terms of how prototypically Asian and how foreign they seem. Studies 1 and 2 found that compared to British perceivers, Americans perceived East Asians as more prototypically Asian; British perceivers considered South Asians as more prototypically Asian than American participants. Study 3 showed that Americans perceived East and Southeast Asians to be less foreign and more prototypically American than South Asians and Middle Easterners; in contrast, British participants perceived South Asians to be less foreign and more prototypically British than all other Asian ethnicities. This research demonstrates the importance of disaggregating Asian subgroups and historical contextualization of prototype theories.

Population genetics and forensic utility of 23 autosomal PowerPlex Fusion 6C STR loci in the Kuwaiti population

This study evaluates the forensic utility of 23 autosomal short tandem repeat markers in 400 samples from the Kuwaiti population, of which four markers (D10S1248, D22S1045, D2S441 and SE33) are reported for the first time for Kuwait. All the markers were shown to exhibit no deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, nor any linkage disequilibrium between and within loci, indicating that these loci are inherited independently, and their allele frequencies can be used to estimate match probabilities in the Kuwaiti population. The low combined match probability of 7.37 × 10–30 and the high paternity indices generated by these loci demonstrate the usefulness of the PowerPlex Fusion 6C kit for human identification in this population, as well as to strengthen the power of paternity testing. Off-ladder alleles were seen at several loci, and these were identified by examining their underlying nucleotide sequences. Principal component analysis (PCA) and STRUCTURE showed no genetic structure within the Kuwaiti population. However, PCA revealed a correlation between geographic and genetic distance. Finally, phylogenetic trees demonstrated a close relationship between Kuwaitis and Middle Easterners at a global level, and a recent common ancestry for Kuwait with its northern neighbours of Iraq and Iran, at a regional level.

Blood pressure monitoring following individual carpules of anesthetic utilizing computer-controlled anesthetic delivery

To date, no study has evaluated blood pressure following administration of each carpule given for dental procedures using a computerized dental anesthesia system. Blood pressures taken prior to performing invasive periodontal procedures were compared with those readings measured following delivery of each of up to three consecutive carpules of Marcaine or Xylocaine in varying order. Pressure differences were also adjusted for age, sex, race, and whether a prescribed anxiolytic was taken beforehand. Neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressures changed significantly as compared to initial blood pressure readings. However, compared with Whites, Hispanics, and Middle Easterners, Blacks had significantly higher systolic pressure at the third carpule delivery, the cause being unknown. Blood pressure in patients being anesthetized for root planing and various periodontal surgical procedures will not increase significantly when administering up to three carpules, whether Marcaine or Xylocaine, in varying order, using controlled flow dental anesthesia, and this method may be preferable to syringes in managing dental procedural stress.

(In)visibility and the Muslim other: Narratives of flight and religious identity among Iraqi Christians in Denmark

This article investigates identity and belonging among Christians of Iraqi origin in Denmark through an analysis of their narratives of flight and interreligious relations, with a particular focus on the underlying dynamics of a widespread anti-Muslim discourse. Based on qualitative interviews and informal conversations with Chaldean and Assyrian Christians from Iraq, I examine how they presented themselves to me through their stories of flight from Iraq and settlement in Denmark. The analysis draws on perspectives on positionality and belonging among migrants as well as the ambiguous concept of (in)visibility, understood both as something structurally enforced and as how individuals and groups experience their (in)visibility and strive towards mobility and recognition. In addition, the analysis incorporates insights and discussions from literature on racialization and minority–majority relations, while particularly focusing on religious identity and Muslim–Christian relations. Against experiences of racialization and misrecognition as Muslims, I explore how they make sense of, articulate and act on their complex social location as invisible Christians and visible Middle Easterners in a Danish context characterized by ambiguous expectations of religiosity and national belonging. I draw attention to three different, yet simultaneous, narratives put forward by the Iraqi Christians: flight from political oppression, flight from Muslim persecution in the Middle East, and Islam as a threat against Europe. I argue that Iraqi Christians interpret and navigate the experience of being bodily invisible as Christians but visible as immigrants and Middle Eastern Muslims by rewriting narratives of their flight from Iraq to Denmark. Consequently, they also rewrite their relations to both the ‘Christian other’ in Denmark and the ‘Muslim other’ in Denmark and Iraq. The article contributes with a perspective on ‘invisible’ and/or misrecognized non-Muslim minorities in Europe and thus offers insights into the diversity within assumedly homogenous ethnic groups.

The More Ethnic the Face, the More Important the Race: A Closer Look at Colorism and Employment Opportunities among Middle Eastern Women

Colorism is the intra- and interracial discrimination an individual experiences based on one’s phenotype. Current research focused on colorism among black Americans has found that “dark-skinned blacks have lower levels of education, income, and job status” in the United States. As bias against Middle Easterners rises in the United States, current research regarding this population is scarce. In the context of today’s political climate, the term Muslim has become a misnomer to refer to the Middle Eastern population, with the term Islamophobia specifically referring to Middle Easterners regardless of their religion rather than individuals from regions of the world who practice Islam. Participants ordered job applicants in terms of who they would hire, followed by interviews. Through 16 semi-structured interviews, this project identifies what participants believe are phenotypically Middle Eastern and Muslim facial features. Throughout the study, participants preferred to hire lighter Middle Eastern women.

Sexual health status and vitamin D in primary care patients from the Middle East and Sweden

Background Low vitamin D is more common in Middle Eastern-born patients (Middle Easterners) than in Swedish-born patients of northern European descent (Swedes), and the condition might affect sexual health. The present study (i) investigated primary care (PC) patients (ii) compared self-reported sexual health in Swedes and Middle Easterners; (iii) analysed differences within and between the groups and (iv) analysed differences in vitamin D levels between the groups. Methods 522 PC patients responded to a health questionnaire that included items on sexual health. All provided blood samples: 225 Middle Easterners from Iran, Iraq, and Turkey and 297 Swedes. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR). Results Middle Easterners reported less sexual dysfunction than Swedes; 75.8% of Middle Easterners and 18.9% of Swedes presented a 25(OH)D of < 50 nmol/L. The crude OR for reporting sexual dysfunction was 70% higher in Swedes compared to Middle Easterners (OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.92–3.23). This OR remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, waist circumference, and reported sexual desire. But the significance disappeared after additional adjustment for vitamin D. In both groups, more females than males reported insufficient sexual desire. More female Middle Easterners reported sex life dissatisfaction. More female Swedes reported sexual dysfunction. Covariate inclusions could not explain the association between gender and insufficient sexual desire. Vitamin D could explain association between gender and sex life dissatisfaction in Middle Easterners, and age could explain association between gender and sexual dysfunction in Swedes. Age, waist circumference, and vitamin D levels were significant covariates in the logistic regression models. Conclusions Results from the present study suggest that vitamin D variation partly explains differences in sexual dysfunction between the groups and between genders within the groups. Vitamin D therapy should be investigated to determine if these results are clinically useful. That said, perceptions about sex life and mental health (rather the physiological pathology) might explain the results. And further investigation into female Middle Easterners and female Swedes is warranted.

القياس اضيع [Likening Can Be Misleading]: Reflections on Africa and Africans in Guantánamo

Looking back on my incarceration in Guantánamo from the relative security of my home in Nouakchott, I now realize how significant the African presence was in the illegal detention facility. While at the time, and as my Guantánamo Diary makes clear, our captors treated us primarily as Muslims, jihadis, Arabs, and Middle Easterners, the reality was that many of us were first and foremost African. We were born in African countries, our citizenship was that of African nations, we were handed over or surrendered by our own African governments to the U.S., and we shared the common experiences of Africans. The ASA forum held in celebration of my memoir has enabled me to reflect further on this and on what happens when we rethink Gitmo as a place of African detention, created by the collaboration of independent African governments. Fewer than one hundred detainees in Guantánamo hailed from the African continent, which is 12 percent of the total population at its peak. Algeria and Morocco had the most representation, and most detainees were North African, but sub-Saharan Africans featured prominently too. In this commentary, I want to share a little bit about my experience, with a view to making Guantánamo Diary more comprehensible to an Africanist audience.