Attentional Biases Towards Body-Related Stimuli in Healthy Males: A Systematic Review.

Recent literature has discussed the role of attentional biases towards body-related stimuli. Specific foci have been on those with high levels of body image concerns and female samples. Unfortunately, there has been limited focus on male samples within existing literature.

Cognitive arousal mediates the relationship between perceived ostracism and sleep quality but it is not moderated by experiential avoidance.

Previous research suggests that longer-term perceived ostracism is related to poor sleep quality. In this study, we investigated the mediating effect of cognitive arousal on the perceived ostracism-sleep quality relationship. We also investigated whether experiential avoidance was a moderator of the cognitive arousal-sleep quality relationship.

Frequent Sexual Activity Predicts Specific Cognitive Abilities in Older Adults.

Objectives: This study replicates and extends the findings of previous research (Wright, H., & Jenks, R. A.

Sex on the brain! Associations between sexual activity and cognitive function in older age.

Background: the relationship between cognition and sexual activity in healthy older adults is under-researched. A limited amount of research in this area has shown that sexual activity is associated with better cognition in older men. The current study explores the possible mediating factors in this association in men and women, and attempts to provide an explanation in terms of physiological influences on cognitive function.

The contrasting physiological and subjective effects of chewing gum on social stress.

Uncertainty exists with respect to the extent to which chewing gum may attenuate stress-induced rises in cortisol secretion (Johnson, Jenks, Miles, Albert, & Cox, 2011; Scholey et al., 2009; Smith, 2010). The present study used the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST: Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993), a task known to elevate cortisol secretion (Kudielka, Schommer, Hellhammer, & Kirschbaum, 2004), in order to examine the moderating physiological and subjective effects of chewing gum on social stress.

The effect of chewing gum on physiological and self-rated measures of alertness and daytime sleepiness.

The proposition that chewing gum can improve alertness was investigated via both physiological and self-rated measures. The Pupillographic Sleepiness Test (PST) provided a measure of pupillary unrest (PUI); a physiological index of daytime sleepiness. Chewing gum reduced the extent of sleepiness as measured by both PUI and self-rated sleepiness.

Chewing gum modifies state anxiety and alertness under conditions of social stress.

Objectives: The finding that chewing gum can moderate state anxiety under conditions of acute stress has proved difficult to replicate. The present study examines the extent to which chewing gum can moderate state anxiety under conditions of acute social stress.

Method: In a between-participants design, 36 participants completed a task comprising a mock job interview (a variation on the Trier Social Stress Task, which included a mental arithmetic component) while either chewing gum or without chewing gum.

Chewing gum moderates multi-task induced shifts in stress, mood, and alertness. A re-examination.

The finding that chewing gum can moderate stress and mood changes following a multi-task cognitive stressor (Scholey et al., 2009) was re-examined. In a repeated measures cross-over design, thirty participants completed a 20-min multi-tasking stressor on consecutive days, both with and without chewing gum.

Effects of dieting status and cigarette deprivation on progressive ratio responding for cigarette puffs by young women smokers.

There is evidence from self-report measures which suggests that young women dieters find cigarette smoking less rewarding than non-dieters. We aimed to further elucidate differences between dieters and non-dieters in their evaluation of smoking using a behavioural measure of drug reward. Thirty female undergraduates attended two sessions (cigarette deprived and non-deprived).

Reactivity to smoking- and food-related cues in currently dieting and non-dieting young women smokers.

There is some evidence to suggest that young women dieters who smoke experience greater cigarette cravings in the presence of food-related related cues. The aim of this experiment was to examine reactivity to both smoking-related and water cues by dieting and non-dieting women smokers in the presence or absence of food cues. Eighteen female undergraduates attended two sessions (food present and food absent).

Associations between dieting and smoking-related behaviors in young women.

Many young women report smoking due to weight concerns, but little is known about the relationship between weight concerns and current smoking behavior. The present study examined smoking topography and the acute sensory and physiological responses to smoking in dieting and non-dieting young women. In addition, the effect of presentation of food cues on these responses was examined.