Recent metanalysis suggests that the ideal mate preferences have small predictive validity for indicators of marital satisfaction and the characteristics of the mate that will end up selecting. It has been proposed that classical research has failed to capture the emotional nature of the mate selection process because of the constraints of their preference measurement system (i.e. autoreport), which could affect the predictions. The present work aims to assess whether emotional states can alter the overall long-term mate evaluation, in order to provide elements in the discussion of the predictive power of preferences. Two experiments were developed with a factorial design 2 (Sex) x 3 (Affective Group). In study 1, 185 university students (45,4% men and 54,6% women) were primed with stimuli related to Love and Sadness, also, preference measurements were applied with the IPRS test. In study 2, a new sample of 220 participants (41,4% men and 58,6% women) was primed with Sexual Desire and Terror, additionally, a reduced version of the IPRS test was applied. In both studies, sexual differences were found in preference patterns, as has been reported in other research around the world. However, the effect of emotional states on preferences was minimal, compared to other studies examining this phenomenon, which leads to suggest that mate preferences could be resistant to the emotional changes of the evaluators, therefore, it is necessary to continue studying other factors that may affect the predictive validity of preferences.

Diversity and variability in the behavior of individual animals has been treated in many different ways in the scientific study of animal behavior. Early experimental work ignored diversity and treated individual differences as error variance; later work (e.g., Renner & Seltzer, J Comp Psych 1991; 1994) attempted to measure and characterize diversity. Recently, although some (e.g., Miller, et al., Animal Welfare, 2016) have proposed that measures of behavioral diversity may be useful in the assessment of welfare among zoo animals, measurement to date relies on Shannon’s diversity index (1949), and so is restricted to testing the variety and proportions of behavior types represented in the aggregate within a data set. We will report comparisons of the existing methods with new methods that attempt to capture sequential complexity and variability over time. Observations were carried out using continuous observation in 10- and 20-minute sessions with a variety of zoo-resident species {including Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), Eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), and Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)}. Data were analyzed as in previous studies using the Shannon Diversity Index, and also using newly developed models for characterizing behavioral variability within observation sessions. The results obtained with these different methods will be compared to allow comparison of different methods of capturing behavioral diversity as a factor in captive animal welfare.

11. A Bibliometric Analysis of Comparative Psychology and Animal Behavior Research in Hispanic America

The present research aimed to quantify and analyze the research activity in the field of Comparative Psychology and Animal Behavior among the 19 countries that constitute Hispanic America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico). We performed a bibliometric analysis of the articles published between 1975 and 2021 in 26 specialized journals, selected from the Web of Science and authored by researchers with affiliations in institutions from these countries. A total of 1668 articles were found and analyzed according to several indicators. Results are discussed in order to determine the countries of the region that concentrate the greatest efforts in this scientific activity and the current state of comparative psychology and animal behavior research in Hispanic America. Most of the production is concentrated in Mexico (35%), Argentina (22%), and Panama (14%). A sustained increase in production is shown in the last 15 years, with the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 showing the highest number of publications to date (111 articles each). Contributions are made, mainly, by authors associated with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (18%), the Smithsonian Research Institute (14%), and the CONICET from Argentina (13%). Furthermore, we analyzed the gender gap among the most cited articles and found that 77% of the authorship corresponded to male authors. This was similar with corresponding authors and first authorship, with 66% males signing in these prestigious author positions.

Learned helplessness was investigated in people with and without emotional dysregulation. Two experiments of two phases each were carried out to achieve such purpose. Learned helplessness describes when an organism learns that its behavior does not influence the outcome of a stressful event. Emotional dysregulation consists of being unable to focus on strategies to achieve objectives and goals. They both share symptoms such as anxiety or depression. In Experiment 1, the triadic design of helplessness was used. Seventy-two participants were required, divided into six groups (n = 12) based on the Difficulties of Emotion Regulation Scale. A computerized online task measured consequences avoided, response rate, elevation score, and control perception. An aversive stimulus composed of a loss of fictional points and an annoying sound was used in such a task. The results showed differences in perception of control between people with and without emotional dysregulation and differences in the elevation score. Experiment 2 was made with a random ratio two reinforcement program to control the instrumental contingency between the response and the outcome's uncontrollability. The same materials were used as for Experiment 1. Forty-eight participants were required, divided into four groups (n = 12). The results showed that the groups that presented emotional dysregulation have differences from those that showed emotional regulation in the elevation score and control perception. These differences are consistent with Experiment 1 and suggest that emotional dysregulation plays a role in how stressful events and behavior are perceived.