Francis (2013) tested for and found evidence of publication bias in 1 of the 3 focal relations examined in Elliot et al. (2010), that between red and attractiveness. He then called into question the research as a whole and the field of experimental psychology more generally. Our reply has 3 foci. First, we attend to the bottom line regarding the…

Elliot et al. (2010) reported multiple experimental findings that the color red modified women's ratings of attractiveness, sexual desirability, and status of a photographed man. An analysis of the reported statistics of these studies indicates that the experiments lack sufficient power to support these claims. Given the power of the experiments,…

In this article I explore how a group of female university students, mostly British Asian and in their late teens and early twenties, perform femininities in talk about heritage languages. I argue that analysis of this talk reveals ways in which the participants enact "culturally intelligible" gendered subject positions. This frequently…

Noting that communication scholars have begun to sense the inadequacy of traditional theoretic perspectives to frame the sorts of questions and answers required for a fully articulated theory of interpersonal attraction and relationship development, this paper explores the possibility of applying constructivism to that area. (It defines the…

Describes one approach to supervising novice clinical supervisors. The central feature is eight recurring issues: (1) supervisor anxiety; (2) intervention choices; (3) group cohesion; (4) responsibility; (5) parallel process; (6) power struggles; (7) individual differences; and (8) sexual attraction. Suggests that assessing and confronting these…

Providing a framework for a symposium exploring the influence of physical attractiveness on the socialization process, this paper (1) offers a working definition of physical attractiveness, (2) reviews stereotypes associated with attractiveness, and (3) discusses a social network perspective on the influence of attractiveness. Physical…

Kenneth Burke's dramatistic theory of social movements can be applied to current romantic jealousy theories. Burke's dramaturgy has seven major elements: order, guilt, negation, victimage, mortification, catharsis, and redemption. These elements may all be transposed onto Burke's three critical motives: Order (status quo), Secret (differences…

Evolutionary behavioral biology suggests that certain characteristics of the human face and body are important for mate preferences and are therefore subject to sexual selection. J. Weeden and J. Sabini identify a number of weaknesses in the association between traits' attractiveness and health. In contrast, the authors argue that (a) studies on…

Asserts that heterosexual sexual involvement in the contemporary college population is often sporadic, episodic, without commitment, and accompanied by deliberate effort of both partners to suppress tender, romantic feelings and intimacy. Suggests the sources of this situation lie in changes in the ethos, the ascent of women, advances in…

Examines articulations of "egalitarian" courtship in romantic comedy films of the 1930s and 1940s and recent television series resurrecting their conventions. Gauges the extent to which such texts are open to a negotiated reading that recontextualizes heterosexual monogamy in anarchic rather than patriarchal terms. Suggests that the…

Reviews 18 young adult books chosen for their balanced, realistic view of the meaning of love. (RBW)

Discusses research regarding the development of infants' smiling at, gazing at, and interest in faces. (Author/DB)

Sex education should go beyond the teaching of biology and instill a sense of self-worth and broad values. (JD)

Scientific and cultural research suggests that attractiveness does affect the ways that people perceive and respond to each other. In this paper, the author talks about the impact of one's appearance in academe as well as in the relationship between students and professors. From the research literature, popular writings, and many comments from his…

When colleges and universities seek new presidents and chancellors, search committee members and consultants usually focus on their responsibility to make judgments about the candidates. The competition for the strongest candidates can be fierce and fast. The search committee will be striving to attract these candidates by telling a compelling…