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C German

Publications and source records attributed to C German.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Brain asymmetry and facial attractiveness: facial beauty is not simply in the eye of the beholder.

We recently reported finding asymmetry in the appearance of beauty on the face [Zaidel et al., Neuropsychologia, Vol. 33, pp. 649-655, 1995]. Here, we investigated whether facial beauty is a stable characteristic (on the owner's very face) or is in the perceptual space of the observer. We call the question 'the owner vs observer hypothesis'. We compared identity judgements and attractiveness ratings of observers. Subjects viewed left-left and right-right composites of faces and decided which most resembled the normal face (Experiment 1). Identity judgements (resemblance) are known to be associated with perceptual factors in the observer. Another group viewed the same normal faces and rated them on attractiveness (Experiment 2). In each experiment, there were two separate viewing conditions, original and reversed (mirror-image). Lateral reversal did affect the results of Experiment 1 (confirming previous findings [Bennett et al., Neuropsychologia, Vol. 25, pp. 681-687, 1987; Gilbert and Bakan, Journal of Anatomy, Vol. 183, pp. 593-600, 1993]) but did not affect the results of Experiment 2. The fact that lateral reversal did not affect the results of Experiment 2 suggests that facial attractiveness is more dependent on physiognomy (of the owner) and less dependent on an asymmetrical perceptual process (in the observer) than is facial identity. The results are discussed in the context of beauty's biological significance and facial processing in the brain.

Adolescent↗

She is not a beauty even when she smiles: possible evolutionary basis for a relationship between facial attractiveness and hemispheric specialization.

The asymmetrical status of facial beauty has rarely been investigated. We studied positive facial characteristics, attractiveness and smiling, through the use of left-left and right-right composites of unfamiliar faces of women and men with natural expressions. Results showed that women's right-right composites were judged significantly more attractive than left-left composites while there was no left-right difference in men's composites (Experiment 1). On the other hand, left-left composites were judged to have more pronounced smiling expressions than right-right composites in both women's and men's faces (Experiment 2). The results confirm previous findings for leftward facial expressiveness and show for the first time asymmetry in facial attractiveness and a difference in its manifestation in women's and men's faces. The findings have biological implications for the relationship between the appearance of the sides of the face and hemispheric specialization. The organization of beauty in the human face may have been shaped by evolutionary pressures on facial asymmetries, especially as they pertain to mate selection.

Adolescent↗

Cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic activity during self-regulation of heart period.

Fourteen subjects attempted to increase and 15 attempted to decrease cardiac interbeat interval (IBI) while being provided with biofeedback of IBI, T-wave vector magnitude (TWVM), or respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Subjects in both groups showed directional change in IBI relative to a tracking control task, but the three types of feedback did not differentially affect performance. Voluntary IBI increases were associated with significant increases in TWVM and RSA, and voluntary IBI decreases were associated with significant reductions in RSA and nonsignificant reductions in TWVM. This pattern of results suggests that alterations in cardiac vagal tone are involved in voluntary IBI increase and decrease tasks. The results also suggest a role for cardiac sympathetic nervous activity in voluntary IBI increase. The role of changing respiration cycle period was also investigated.

Adolescent↗

Revised Craig Lipreading Inventory.

The two purposes of this study were to shorten the Craig Lipreading Inventory without affecting its reliability and validity and to establish normative data on the revised version. The full inventory was administered to 75 children. By item analysis, half of the items were selected to comprise the brief version; both versions were administered to another group of 75 children. Scores on the two versions correlated (.91 and .92, respectively, for Word Forms A and B and .97 and .95, respectively, for Sentence Forms A and B), thereby substantiating the construct validity of the briefer version. There was significantly high intertest reliability for the Word Forms (.80) and Sentence Forms (.82) of the briefer inventory. Normative data were computed for each age group. This briefer version is a temporally efficient tool for evaluating lipreading ability of children.

Aptitude↗

Hemophilus influenzae cellulitis of the hand.

Hemophilus influenzae type b cellulitis of the hand is a rare infection presenting mainly in the 2-month to 3-year age group. Three proven cases and one clinical case are reported, and the bacteriology and management are discussed. Most of these infections respond to ampicillin and/or chloramphenicol. One must include H. influenzae type b in the differential diagnosis of cellulitis of the hand in this age group and specify this possibility on all cultures so that appropriate identification of the organism can be made.

Ampicillin↗