Are College Students’ Assessments of Threat Shaped by the Dangers of Their Childhood Environment?

Sherman, Amanda; Minich, Steven; Langen, Tom A.; Skufca, Joseph D.; Wilke, Andreas

doi:10.1177/0886260515572473

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…However, there may be other individual 526 difference factors that underlie the relationship between PPFDM and fear of crime, and this 527 warrants further examination. Women feel more or less vulnerable to victimisation for a number of 528 stability of PPFDM into adulthood (e.g., Sherman et al 2015). For example, an interesting avenue for 530 future research would be to examine the development of PPFDM as a function of childhood 531 experiences of crime, heightened vulnerability, and limited protection.…”

Section: Discussion 461mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's fear of crime and preference for formidable mates: how specific are the underlying psychological mechanisms?

Ryder

Maltby

Rai

et al. 2016

Evolution and Human Behavior

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Previous research shows that feelings of vulnerability, as measured by fear of crime, are associated 16 with preferences for physically formidable and dominant mates (PPFDM), ostensibly because of the 17 physical protection such mates can afford. In the lab and in the field, we tested whether the 18 relationship between PPFDM and fear of crime is pronounced when the risk of crime is relatively 19 high, and for crimes that are evolutionarily more costly. In Study 1, women were presented with 20 daytime and night time images that featured a lone shadowy male figure, crime hotspots and 21 safespots, and they reported their risk of victimisation in the situation depicted in the image. In 22 Study 2, we had female participants walk through crime hotspots and safespots in a city centre 23 during the daytime, and had them report their perceived victimisation risk for different types of 24 crime, perpetrated by a male-versus female. Participants in Study 1 and 2 also completed a scale 25 that measures PPFDM. In both studies, we found that PPFDM was positively associated with fear of 26 crime in hotspots and in safespots. Additionally, fear of crime was significantly affected by risk 27 situation (i.e., safespot versus hotspot, night time versus daytime). The relationship between PPFDM 28 and fear, however, did not vary in relation to risk situation, perpetrator gender, or crime type, 29suggesting that the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between perceived risk of 30 victimisation and PPFDM are general in nature. Women who prefer physically formidable and 31 dominant mates tend to feel more at risk of crime, regardless of the situational risk factors present. 32

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Section: Discussion 461mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's fear of crime and preference for formidable mates: how specific are the underlying psychological mechanisms?

Ryder

Maltby

Rai

et al. 2016

Evolution and Human Behavior

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show abstract

“…In this case, it might be considered unethical to adjust perceptions, and instead it would be better to focus on tackling sources of extrinsic mortality risk and improving people's future prospects. Furthermore, information gathered during early life may alter perceptions of, or responses to, environments in adulthood (Frankenhuis & Weerth 2013; Placek & Quinlan 2012; Sherman et al 2015), in which case, understanding the interaction between early experience and current context will be extremely important.…”

Section: The Implications Of the Contextually Appropriate Response Pementioning

confidence: 99%

The behavioural constellation of deprivation: Causes and consequences

Pepper¹,

Nettle²

2017

Behav Brain Sci

330

279

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Socioeconomic differences in behaviour are pervasive and well documented, but their causes are not yet well understood. Here, we make the case that a cluster of behaviours is associated with lower socioeconomic status (SES), which we call "the behavioural constellation of deprivation." We propose that the relatively limited control associated with lower SES curtails the extent to which people can expect to realise deferred rewards, leading to more present-oriented behaviour in a range of domains. We illustrate this idea using the specific factor of extrinsic mortality risk, an important factor in evolutionary theoretical models. We emphasise the idea that the present-oriented behaviours of the constellation are a contextually appropriate response to structural and ecological factors rather than a pathology or a failure of willpower. We highlight some principles from evolutionary theoretical models that can deepen our understanding of how socioeconomic inequalities can become amplified and embedded. These principles are that (1) small initial disparities can lead to larger eventual inequalities, (2) feedback loops can embed early-life circumstances, (3) constraints can breed further constraints, and (4) feedback loops can operate over generations. We discuss some of the mechanisms by which SES may influence behaviour. We then review how the contextually appropriate response perspective that we have outlined fits with other findings about control and temporal discounting. Finally, we discuss the implications of this interpretation for research and policy.

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“…Previous research has found that exposure to crime in childhood influences current perceptions of crime (Sherman et al 2016), as well as a preference for aggressive-formidable long-term partners (Snyder et al 2011). In our first study, objective crime rates in childhood were unrelated to male friend preference.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…The results presented here point at the importance of subjective perceptions of the environment as the most important determinant of evolutionarily sensible choices when selecting friends. Although danger in childhood environment is related to current perception of risk (Sherman et al 2016), the current, subjective fear of crime is more crucial. Women who have higher fear of crime (irrespective of their actual environment) have been found to prefer aggressive-formidable male partners (Ryder et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable same-sex and opposite-sex friends

Meskelyte

Lyons

2020

Curr Psychol

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Previous research has found that when faced with dangerous environments, women may have an evolved preference for physically strong and aggressive men. This phenomenon has been named as the Bodyguard hypothesis. The aim of the present studies was to explore whether the same principle exists in non-romantic male friend selection. In Study 1, (n = 118), an on-line sample of British women was assessed for objective crime rates in their childhood and current environment, subjective vulnerability to crime, and preference for aggressive and formidable opposite-sex friends. Women's subjective fear of crime predicted their preference for aggressive-formidable ideal male friends, as well as aggressive-formidable actual male friends. In Study 2 (n = 228), an internet sample of both sexes was assessed for their subjective fear of crime, as well as their preference for aggressive-formidability and other characteristics in same and opposite-sex friends. Fear of crime was not correlated with characteristics (intelligence, funniness, kindness) that were unrelated to aggressive-formidability. There was a small positive correlation between fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable friends in both sexes. The correlation between fear of crime and preference for ideal male friend's aggression-formidability was the only statistically significant one, and none of the correlations differed significantly from each other. Together, these two studies provide some tentative evidence for the Bodyguard hypothesis in preferred friendship characteristics. Environmental influence on friendship selection is an under-investigated area of research, benefiting from future research replicating the methodology from studies on romantic partner characteristics. Keywords Opposite-sex friendships, bodyguard hypothesis. Objective childhood crime rates. Objective current crime rates. Fear of crime

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Are College Students’ Assessments of Threat Shaped by the Dangers of Their Childhood Environment?

Cited by 11 publications

References 31 publications

Women's fear of crime and preference for formidable mates: how specific are the underlying psychological mechanisms?

Women's fear of crime and preference for formidable mates: how specific are the underlying psychological mechanisms?

The behavioural constellation of deprivation: Causes and consequences

Fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable same-sex and opposite-sex friends

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