No evidence for an association between facial fluctuating asymmetry and vocal attractiveness in men and women

Facial fluctuating asymmetry (FA), presumably a proxy measure of developmental instability, has been proposed to inversely relate to vocal attractiveness, which may convey information on heritable fitness benefits. Using an improved method of measuring facial FA, we sought to replicate two recent studies that showed an inverse correlation of facial FA with vocal attractiveness. In two samples of men (N = 165) and women (N = 157), we investigated the association between automatically measured facial FA based on 3D face scans and male and female observer-rated attractiveness of voice recordings. No significant associations were found for men or women, also when controlling for facial attractiveness, age and BMI. Equivalence tests show that effect sizes were significantly smaller than previous meta-analytic effects, providing robust evidence against a link of facial FA with vocal attractiveness. Thus, our study contradicts earlier findings that vocal attractiveness may signal genetic quality in humans via an association with FA.

OF STATUS AND SUITS: PERSONAL SPACE INVASIONS IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE SETTING

The present experiment sought to determine if status would affect avoidance of personal space invasions. The drinking behavior of male passersby at a water fountain in an administration building was recorded by a female observer. Either a low status, high status or no confederate stood near the fountain. The results showed that there was a significantly lower rate of drinking 'at a water fountain when a high status confederate stood nearby than when no confederate was present.

The Stiles—Crawford Effect of the First Kind (SCE I): Studies of SCE I in an Aniridic Observer

The Stiles—Crawford effect of the first kind (SCE I), discovered in 1933, represented a major breakthrough in our understanding of retinal physiology and the modern beginning of the science of photoreceptor optics. The current status of knowledge in this area is briefly reviewed. A study is presented of a white adult female observer with aniridia, clear media, only traces of nystagmus, rather good visual acuity, and good fixation. It is shown that this individual exhibits approximate alignment of her photoreceptors with the center of the retinal sphere, clear evidence of side lobes on functions, and surprisingly steep SCE I functions. The implications of these findings are considered.