Environmental Factors in the Choice of EGMs: A Discrete Choice Experiment

EGMs are a form of entertainment, and the gambling environment is an important contributor to the overall experience. Logically, to select a play-environment, EGM gamblers must choose the platform through which to access the EGM (e.g., internet, mobile application or land-based venue), a particular provider (e.g., specific website, app vendor or branded casino), and the game itself (e.g., based on graphical theme or bonus features; Thorne et al. in J Gambl Stud, 2016. doi: 10.1007/s10899-016-9601-2). A discrete choice experiment was conducted to identify the features of the platform, provider and game that are most strongly preferred by EGM gamblers. Participants were 245 EGM gamblers from clubs in Victoria, Australia and 7516 EGM gamblers from an Australian online panel. Results indicate that the ideal environment for the average gambler consists of: gambling at a club that is close to home; with a group of friends; in a relatively quiet place that has air conditioning, cheap food and a large space to play in; on a classic game with quality animations and small bet sizes; where you feel safe and secure; and where there is a wide variety of other games to play when you are done. Segmenting these results by problem-gambler status highlights important differences in preferences between problem and non-problem gamblers. Problem gamblers are less likely to give weight to the company they share and have a preference for larger venues. Using a powerful paradigm from marketing research, the present study was able to determine the relative value of different features of the EGM gambling environment, and also contributes important insight towards what constitutes a safer environment for recreational play.     

Gambling Increases Self-Control Strength in Problem Gamblers

In two studies it is demonstrated that, in the short-term, slot machine gambling increases self-control strength in problem gamblers. In Study 1 (N = 180), participants were randomly assigned to either play slot machines or engage in a control task (word anagrams) for 15 min. Subsequent self-control strength was measured via persistence on an impossible tracing task. Replicating Bergen et al. (J Gambl Stud, doi:10.1007/s10899-011-9274-9, 2011), control condition participants categorized as problem gamblers persisted for less time than did lower gambling risk participants. However, in the slot machine condition, there were no significant differences in persistence amongst participants as a function of their gambling classification. Moreover, problem gambling participants in the slot machine condition persisted at the impossible tracing task longer than did problem gambling participants in the control condition. Study 2 (N = 209) systematically replicated Study 1. All participants initially completed two tasks known to deplete self-control strength and a different control condition (math problems) was used. Study 2 results were highly similar to those of Study 1. The results of the studies have implications for the helping professions. Specifically, helping professionals should be aware that problem gamblers might seek out gambling as a means of increasing self-control strength.     

Critical Flaws in the Female Sexual Function Index and the International Index of Erectile Function

The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000 Rosen , R. C. , Brown , C. , Heiman , J. , Leiblum , S. , Meston , C. , Shabsigh , R. , … D'Agostino , R. ( 2000 ). The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): A multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of female sexual function . Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy , 26 , 191 – 208 . doi: 10.1080/009262300278597 [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF; Rosen et al., 1997 Rosen , R. C. , Riley , A. , Wagner , G. , Osterloh , I. H. , Kirkpatrick , J. , &; Mishra , A. ( 1997 ). The International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF): A multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction . Urology , 49 , 822 – 830 . doi: 10.1016/S0090-4295(97)00238-0 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) are two of the most widely used measures of sexual dysfunction. However, they have potential measurement and psychometric flaws that have not been addressed in the literature. This article examines the measurement capabilities of these measures based on data collected from an online study in 2010. A convenience sample of 518 sexually active adults (65% female) drawn from the general community were included in the analyses. Both measures displayed critical theoretical and measurement problems for the assessment of sexual problems beyond sexual arousal, and for the sexual desire domains in particular. Based on these results, we encourage clinicians and researchers to think critically about whether the FSFI and IIEF are appropriate measures for their practice and research. In particular, these measures are inappropriate for use among individuals who are not currently sexually active, and research with a focus other than sexual arousal should consider supplementary measures of sexual function. The psychometric properties of these measures should be reassessed in clinical samples, but the theoretical issues with the measures raised in this article are relevant across clinical and research contexts.     

The Sexual Consent Scale–Revised: Development,Reliability, and Preliminary Validity

The Sexual Consent Scale–Revised (SCS–R) measures an individual's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to how sexual consent should be and is negotiated between sexual partners. This study extends previous research on sexual consent by revising a scale using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991 Ajzen , I. ( 1991 ). The Theory of Planned Behavior . Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes , 50 , 179 – 211 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2001 Ajzen , I. ( 2001 ). Attitudes . Annual Review of Psychology , 52 , 27 – 58 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2005 Ajzen , I. ( 2005 ) . Attitudes, personality, and behavior ( , 2nd ed. ). Milton-Keynes , England : Open University Press/McGraw-Hill . [Google Scholar]) as its theoretical foundation. The psychometric properties of the SCS–R were established using factor analysis, construct validity tests, as well as internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Five factors emerged: perceived behavioral control, positive attitude toward establishing consent, sexual consent norms, indirect consent behaviors, and awareness of consent. Results indicated that the SCS–R can be useful for examining a variety of research questions relating to sexual consent.     

The Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women (SESII-W) Within a Dutch Population

According to the dual control model, sexual arousal is dependent on the disposition for both sexual excitation (SE) and sexual inhibition (SI; Bancroft, 1999 Bancroft , J. ( 1999 ). Central inhibition of sexual response in the male: A theoretical perspective . Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews , 23 , 763 – 784 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Individual variability in sexual inhibition and sexual excitation could partly explain individual differences in sexual arousability and the likelihood of experiencing sexual problems (Bancroft, Graham, Janssen, &; Sanders, 2009 Bancroft , J. , Graham , C. A. , Janssen , E. , &; Sanders , S. A. ( 2009 ). The dual control model: Current status and future directions . Journal of Sex Research , 46 , 121 – 142 .[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women (SESII-W) is a questionnaire developed to measure the factors sexual excitation and sexual inhibition (Graham, Sanders, &; Milhausen, 2006 Graham , C. A. , Sanders , S. A. , &; Milhausen , R. R. ( 2006 ). The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women: Psychometric properties . Archives of Sexual Behavior , 35 , 397 – 409 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This study describes the validation of the Dutch version of the SESII-W in a sample of 445 women. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we determined that the eight lower-order factor model achieved adequate fit to the data. A decrement in fit was noted when the two higher-order factors SE and SI were included in the model. The measure demonstrated good construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Furthermore, the scores of women with sexual problems differed from those without sexual problems, providing evidence for the discriminant validity of the SESII-W.     

Visitors to Northern Australia: Debating the History of Indigenous Gambling

Was gambling introduced to Indigenous Australians1 1. The author is aware of deliberations around titles used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Alternative terms such as Indigenous, Aboriginal, Koori and Murri are in common use. For consistency, the term Indigenous Australians (ATSIC, 2002 ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Islander Commission). 2002. Review of Electoral Systems. Canberra, ATSIC. [Google Scholar]; Mansell, 2003 Mansell, M. 2003. “Citizenship, assimilation and a treaty”. In Treaty, Edited by: McGlade, H. 5–17. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.  [Google Scholar]) has been used to include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples. by British colonists in 1788 or was it introduced by Macassan fishermen much earlier? Using a variety of literature resources, it is argued that Indigenous Australian gambling did exist in regions along Australia's northern coastlines in pre-colonial times due to the influence of Macassan fishermen. Using an anthropological model, the adoption of card games and gambling is seen as an adaptive response to changes in the lives of Indigenous Australians. It is also argued that Binde's (2005) four conditions for predicting the presence of gambling in traditional societies are not reliable indicators for predicting gambling by Indigenous Australians in northern Australia in pre-colonial times.     

Gender Role,Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in CAIS (“XY-Women”) Compared With Subfertile and Infertile 46,XX Women

The perception of gender development of individuals with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) as unambiguously female has recently been challenged in both qualitative data and case reports of male gender identity. The aim of the mixed-method study presented was to examine the self-perception of CAIS individuals regarding different aspects of gender and to identify commonalities and differences in comparison with subfertile and infertile XX-chromosomal women with diagnoses of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKHS) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The study sample comprised 11 participants with CAIS, 49 with MRKHS, and 55 with PCOS. Gender identity was assessed by means of a multidimensional instrument, which showed significant differences between the CAIS group and the XX-chromosomal women. Other-than-female gender roles and neither-female-nor-male sexes/genders were reported only by individuals with CAIS. The percentage with a not exclusively androphile sexual orientation was unexceptionally high in the CAIS group compared to the prevalence in “normative” women and the clinical groups. The findings support the assumption made by Meyer-Bahlburg (2010 Meyer-Bahlburg, H. F. L. (2010). Gender outcome in 46,XY complete androgen insensitivity syndrome: Comment on T'Sjoen et al. (2010). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 1221–1224.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that gender outcome in people with CAIS is more variable than generally stated. Parents and professionals should thus be open to courses of gender development other than typically female in individuals with CAIS.     

Factors Influencing University Students’ Explicit and Implicit Sexual Double Standards

Quantitative research has resulted in inconsistent evidence for the existence of a sexual double standard, leading Crawford and Popp (2003 Crawford , M. , &; Popp , D. ( 2003 ). Sexual double standards: A review and methodological critique of two decades of research . Journal of Sex Research , 40 , 13 – 26 .[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) to issue a call for methodological innovation. The Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, &; Schwartz, 1998 Greenwald , A. G. , McGhee , D. E. , &; Schwartz , J. L. K. ( 1998 ). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 74 , 1464 – 1480 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) is a measure that may provide a means to examine the double standard without the contamination of the demand characteristics and social desirability biases that plague self-report research (Marks &; Fraley, 2005 Marks , M. J. , &; Fraley , R. C. ( 2005 ). The sexual double standard: Fact or fiction? Sex Roles , 52 , 175 – 186 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing explicit and implicit double standards, and to examine the relationship between these explicit and implicit double standards, and levels of socially desirable responding. One hundred and three university students completed a sexual double standard IAT, an explicit measure of the double standard, and measures of socially desirable responding. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that levels of socially desirable responding were not related to implicit or explicit double standards. Men endorsed a stronger explicit traditional double standard than women, whereas for implicit sexual standards, men demonstrated a relatively gender-neutral evaluation and women demonstrated a strong reverse double standard. These results suggest the existence of a complex double standard, and indicate that more research of sexual attitudes should include implicit measures.     

Reply to Cameron et al.: Mistakes Were Made. Can They Be Corrected?

Cameron, Cameron, and Proctor (2017 Cameron, P., Cameron, K. M., &; Proctor, K. (2017). Children of homosexuals more apt to become homosexual and experience parental molestation: Surveys over three decades. Marriage &; Family Review, 53, 429–433. doi:10.1080/01494929.2017.1279942[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) have complained that Cameron and Cameron (1996 Cameron, P., &; Cameron, K. (1996). Homosexual parents. Adolescence, 31, 757–776.[PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) were not cited in some articles authored by this journal’s editor. As part of this editor’s policy of welcoming critiques of the editor or articles published in Marriage &; Family Review, we are pleased to respond, as part of an assignment for a graduate course in statistics and research design. Although remarkable for its time in terms of sample design, Cameron and Cameron’s (1996 Cameron, P., &; Cameron, K. (1996). Homosexual parents. Adolescence, 31, 757–776.[PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) research featured substantial limitations or ambiguity in sampling attrition, measurement of parental sexual orientation, and small sample size with respect to the number of children with same-sex parents. Although we cannot recall the exact reasons for which the editor neglected to cite Cameron and Cameron (1996 Cameron, P., &; Cameron, K. (1996). Homosexual parents. Adolescence, 31, 757–776.[PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in more frequency or detail, there were many scientifically reasonable possibilities. Cameron et al. (2017 Cameron, P., Cameron, K. M., &; Proctor, K. (2017). Children of homosexuals more apt to become homosexual and experience parental molestation: Surveys over three decades. Marriage &; Family Review, 53, 429–433. doi:10.1080/01494929.2017.1279942[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) are welcome to respond in detail to our concerns.     

What is the Melody of That Voice? Probing Unbiased Recognition Accuracy with the Montreal Affective Voices

The present study aimed to clarify how listeners decode emotions from human nonverbal vocalizations, exploring unbiased recognition accuracy of vocal emotions selected from the Montreal Affective Voices (MAV) (Belin et al. in Trends Cognit Sci 8:129–135, 2008. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2004.01.008). The MAV battery includes 90 nonverbal vocalizations expressing anger, disgust, fear, pain, sadness, surprise, happiness, sensual pleasure, as well as neutral expressions, uttered by female and male actors. Using a forced-choice recognition task, 156 native speakers of Portuguese were asked to identify the emotion category underlying each MAV sound, and additionally to rate the valence, arousal and dominance of these sounds. The analysis focused on unbiased hit rates (H_u Score; Wagner in J Nonverbal Behav 17(1):3–28, 1993. doi: 10.1007/BF00987006), as well as on the dimensional ratings for each discrete emotion. Further, we examined the relationship between categorical and dimensional ratings, as well as the effects of speaker’s and listener’s sex on these two types of assessment. Surprise vocalizations were associated with the poorest accuracy, whereas happy vocalizations were the most accurately recognized, contrary to previous studies. Happiness was associated with the highest valence and dominance ratings, whereas fear elicited the highest arousal ratings. Recognition accuracy and dimensional ratings of vocal expressions were dependent both on speaker’s sex and listener’s sex. Further, discrete vocal emotions were not consistently predicted by dimensional ratings. Using a large sample size, the present study provides, for the first time, unbiased recognition accuracy rates for a widely used battery of nonverbal vocalizations. The results demonstrated a dynamic interplay between listener’s and speaker’s variables (e.g., sex) in the recognition of emotion from nonverbal vocalizations. Further, they support the use of both categorical and dimensional accounts of emotion when probing how emotional meaning is decoded from nonverbal vocal cues.     

Virgin College Students' Reasons for and Reactions to Their Abstinence From Sex: Results From a 23-Year Study at a Midwestern U.S. University

Sexual activity is normative in college. Thus, college students who are virgins are a minority; they are also an understudied group. This study extended a prior investigation (Sprecher &; Regan, 1996 Sprecher, S., &; Regan, P. C. (1996). College virgins: How men and women perceive their sexual status. Journal of Sex Research, 33, 3–15.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that focused on U.S. college virgins' reported reasons for and reactions to virginity. Data were collected from the same university over an additional 18 years and from more than 700 additional virgin students. We found differences between male and female virgins that showed that men are more reluctant virgins. For example, the only reason for being a virgin that male virgins endorsed to a greater degree than did female virgins was “my partner was not willing.” Men also had more negative affective reactions to being a virgin than did women. We also found some variation in reasons for and reactions to virginity based on sociodemographic variables such as religiosity and ethnicity. A temporal analysis revealed that reasons for being a virgin that referred to a fear (e.g., fear of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections) became less important over the 23-year period. We discuss our findings in the frameworks of evolutionary and social exchange theories.     

Involuntary Mental Health Treatment: The Mental Health Consumer as Expert

Involuntary treatment in mental health has existed since society first began trying to tackle the issue of mental illness (Dennis & Monahan, 1996 Dennis, D. L. and Monahan, J. 1996. Coercion and aggressive community treatment: A new frontier in mental health law, New York, NY: Plenum Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Despite controversy on both sides of the issue, involuntary treatment continues to be used in current mental health service delivery. Practitioners and policy makers have engaged in lively debates about the merits of involuntary treatment, but few studies have engaged affected consumers in this discussion. This article reports on a small qualitative study in North Carolina that attempted to collect the stories of mental health consumers who had been involuntarily hospitalized due to symptoms of mental illness at some point in their lives. Study participants were also asked to critique the elements of the contemporary involuntary treatment and offer their ideas about improving it.     

An Exploratory Analysis of Executive Functioning for Female Sexual Offenders: A Comparison of Characteristics Across Offense Typologies

This study examined the association between female sexual offending behavioral patterns, as delineated by Sandler and Freeman's (2007 Sandler, J. C. and Freeman, N. J. 2007. Typology of female sex offenders: A test of Vandiver and Kercher. Sex Abuse, 19: 73–89. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) typologies, and executive functioning. The sample included all referrals for sexual offender assessments within a women's maximum/medium security prison between January 2009 and October 2009. Each subject was administered the Stroop (Golden & Freshwater, 2002 Golden, C. J. and Freshwater, S. M. 2002. The Stroop color and word test: A manual for clinical and experimental uses, Wood Dale, IL: Stoelting Company.  [Google Scholar]) and Trail Making Test (Reitan, 2004 Reitan, R. M. 2004. “Validity of the trail making test as an indicator of organic brain damage”. In Neuropsychological assessment, 4th, Edited by: Lezak, M. D., Howison, D. B. and Loring, D. W. 371–374. New York: Oxford University Press.  [Google Scholar]) and were assigned to a typological category. Nonparametric analyses were conducted to determine if there was an association between typology and performance on neuropsychological tests. Results yielded no significant associations between test scores and typological category. Subjects displayed average capacities for a subset of executive functions, suggesting that the mechanisms for sexually offending behavior in females may differ from males.     

Somebody's Fetish: Self-Objectification and Body Satisfaction Among Consensual Sadomasochists

Considering that sexuality scholars claim consensual sadomasochists experience sexual objectification differently from the general population (Califia, 1994 Califia, P. (1994). Public sex: The culture of radical sex. Pittsburgh, PA: Cleis Press. [Google Scholar]; Connell, 2002 Connell, R. W. (2002). Gender. Malden, MA: Blackwell. [Google Scholar]; Nussbaum, 1995 Nussbaum, M. C. (1995). Objectification. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 24(4), 249–291. doi:10.1111/j.1088-4963.1995.tb00032.x[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), this study explored self-objectification (Fredrickson &; Roberts, 1997 Fredrickson, B. L. &; Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women's lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and body satisfaction among 121 self-identified consensual sadomasochists, 67 of whom also self-identified as women. Participants responded to an online survey and reported their self-objectification, self-surveillance, body shame, and body satisfaction measures, along with their body mass index (BMI) and identification as dominant, submissive, or switch. The data revealed that the study participants’ differed greatly in their sexual objectification experiences according to their genders, sexual orientations, and sadomasochistic identities, suggesting that consensual sadomasochism offers participants an environment partially free of the negative consequences resulting from Western beauty ideals.     

Perceptions and Use of Gerotechnology: Implications for Aging in Place

ABSTRACT

Understanding perceptions and use of gerotechnology is crucial to optimize design, application, and education strategies that may reduce caregiver burden, extend healthy aging in place, and minimize demands on the health care system. A pilot project was conducted to explore attitudes, opinions, and preferences of older adults concerning the use of technology to support and extend their ability to “aging in place.” Four major themes emerged as important for older adults to age in place: safety and independence, social interaction, use of technology in the past, and the desire for support. Based on the literature in gerotechnology and the pilot study findings, we present a conceptual model that integrates gerotechnology into the life span theory of control (Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995 Heckhausen, J. and Schulz, R. 1995. A life-span theory of control. Psychological Review, 102(2): 284–304. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Schulz & Heckhausen, 1996 Schulz, R. and Heckhausen, J. 1996. A life span model of successful aging. American Psychologist, 51(7): 702–714. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and the concept of aging in place.     

Devil in the Details: A Critical Review of “Theoretical Loss”

In their review of Internet gambling studies, Auer and Griffiths (J Gambl Stud 30(4), 879–887, 2014) question the validity of using bet size as an indicator of gambling intensity. Instead, in that review and in a response (Auer and Griffiths, J Gambl Stud 31(3), 921–931, 2015) to a previous comment (Braverman et al., J Gambl Stud 31(2), 359–366, 2015), Auer and Griffiths suggested using “theoretical loss” as a preferable measure of gambling intensity. This comment extends and advances the discussion about measures of gambling intensity. In this paper, we describe previously identified problems that Auer and Griffiths need to address to sustain theoretical loss as a viable measure of gambling intensity and add details to the discussion that demonstrate difficulties associated with the use of theoretical loss with certain gambling games.