Male attention allocation depends on social context

Attention, although limited, is a mechanism used to filter large amounts of information and determine what stimuli are most relevant at a particular moment. In dynamic social environments, multiple individuals may play a pivotal role in any given interaction where a male’s attention may be divided between a rival, a current mate, and/or future potential mates. Here, we investigated impacts of the social environment on attention allocation in male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, which are a part of a sexual-unisexual mating system with the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa. We asked: 1) Does the species of female influence the amount of attention a male allocates to her? And 2) Is a male’s attention towards his mate influenced by different social partners? Males direct more attention toward a stimulus female when she was a conspecific. We also show that males perceive a larger male as a more relevant stimulus to pay attention to than a smaller male, and a conspecific female as a more relevant stimulus compared to a heterospecific female. Our results show differential allocation of attention is dependent upon multiple components of the social environment in which an individual interacts.SignificanceThis study investigates how attention is allocated in males when presented with social distractions. Assuming that attentional capacity is finite, males may face a tradeoff between different cognitive-demanding stimuli, such as rival males and potential future mates, when mating. Here, we show that male attention allocation in both intra- and intersexual interactions is multifaceted and context dependent. This suggests that individuals within the social environment vary in how meaningful (i.e., able to capture attention) they are to males during mating encounters. Understanding how social partners can cause a shift of attention away from a mating opportunity is essential to understanding the influence of the social context on sexual selection.

Mate availability facilitates cannibalistic behaviour in a nest brooding fish: effects of timing during the brood cycle

Filial cannibalism, eating one's own viable offspring, is accepted as an adaptive response to trade-offs between current and future reproduction. Theoretical models predict that high mate availability may induce more filial cannibalism, but this prediction is rarely tested. To examine this prediction, we performed laboratory experiments using the nest breeding goby Rhinogobius flumineus. Subject males were allowed to mate with a gravid female and care for the broods. A separate gravid female housed in a small cage (stimulus-female) was shown to the subject males at one of three different points during the brood cycle: prior to spawning, within 1 day after spawning and 1 week after spawning. Empty cages were shown as a control. Males that were shown the stimulus-female before spawning cannibalised more eggs than control males. In contrast, males that were shown the stimulus-females after spawning cannibalised as few eggs as control males did. Additionally, males that were shown the stimulus-female prior to spawning did not court females more intensively than other males. Thus, we suggest that the presence of an additional mate, rather than energy expenditure associated with courtship directed toward an additional mate, can facilitate males to cannibalise their eggs.

The Effects Of Hair Color And Cosmetic Use On Perceptions Of A Female's Ability

This experiment examined whether a female applicant's hair color and use of cosmetics might affect perceptions of her ability for a professional position. One hundred thirty six college students reviewed the identical professional resume of a female applicant for the position of a staff accountant. Attached to the resume was a photograph of the stimulus female applicant either wearing or not wearing cosmetics and depicted with brunette, red, or blonde hair color. The results demonstrated significant main effects of both hair color and cosmetic use. Specifically, the applicant was rated more capable and was assigned a higher salary both when depicted with brunette hair color and when depicted without cosmetics. There were no interactions between hair color and cosmetic use. The findings demonstrate that biases regarding personal appearance may affect judgments about a female applicant's ability.

Level of Expertise, Interpolated Activity and Contextual Interference Effects on Memory and Transfer

Effects of contextual interference on memory and transfer were investigated using tasks of coincident anticipation in which subjects had to predict the arrival time of a light stimulus. Female sport-skill experts were compared to less experienced subjects. A cognitive-motor interpolated activity was performed by one group of subjects, and this condition was compared with blocked and variable practice conditions. This study investigated the 1985 hypothesis of Lee and Magill that forgetting the cognitive processing steps in the performance of a task would facilitate retention. Analysis indicated some support of Battig's predictions mote at retention than transfer but clearly did not support Lee and Magill's views on forgetting. Expertise was a significant factor in acquisition, retention, and transfer since sport experts responded with less error on almost all measures.