| Title |
Fluctuating asymmetry and aggression in boys
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Human Nature, March 1998
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s12110-998-1011-4 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
J. T. Manning, D. Wood |
| Abstract |
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is small deviations from perfect symmetry in normally bilaterally symmetrical traits. We examined the relationship between FA of five body traits (ear height, length of three digits, and ankle circumference) and self-reported scores of physical and verbal aggression in a sample of 90 boys aged 10 to 15 years. The relationships between FA and scores of aggression (particularly physical aggression) were found to be negative; in other words, the most symmetrical boys showed highest aggression. One trait (ankle circumference) showed the characteristics of "ideal" FA-parametric mean of zero and a normal distribution. Mean asymmetries calculated from six repeated measures of ankle FA in 30 subjects taken over a period of five months showed strong negative associations with scores of physical aggression which were independent of age, height, and weight.It is argued that soft tissue "cyclical" FA (as opposed to "fixed" bony FA) is dependent on the secretion of hormones: for example, cortisol. Causal associations between behavioral traits such as aggresion and hormones will lead to similar correlations between FA and behavior. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 30 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 3% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 28 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 17% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 4 | 13% |
| Lecturer > Senior Lecturer | 3 | 10% |
| Researcher | 3 | 10% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 3 | 10% |
| Other | 9 | 30% |
| Unknown | 3 | 10% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 14 | 47% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 17% |
| Social Sciences | 2 | 7% |
| Neuroscience | 2 | 7% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 5 | 17% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 27 March 2016.
All research outputs
#7,477,524
of 22,858,915 outputs
Outputs from Human Nature
#340
of 513 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#9,790
of 31,886 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Human Nature
#2
of 4 outputs
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