Abstract:
Developmental instability (DI) is an individual\'s inability to produce a specific developmental outcome under a given set of conditions, generally thought to result from random perturbations experienced during development. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) - asymmetry on bilateral features that, on average, are symmetrical (or asymmetry deviating from that arising from design) - has been used to measure DI. Dating to half a century ago, and accelerating in the past three decades, psychological researchers have examined associations between FA (typically measured on bodily or facial features) and a host of outcomes of interest, including psychological disorders, cognitive ability, attractiveness, and sexual behavior. A decade ago, a meta-analysis on findings from nearly 100 studies extracted several conclusions. On average, small but statistically reliable associations between FA and traits of interest exist. Though modest, these associations are expected to greatly underestimate the strength of associations with underlying DI. Despite the massive sample size across studies, we still lack a good handle on which traits are most strongly affected by DI. A major methodological implication of the meta-analysis is that most studies have been, individually, woefully underpowered to detect associations. Though offering some intriguing findings, much research is the past decade too has been underpowered; hence, the newer literature is also likely noisy. Several large-scale studies are exceptions. Future progress depends on additional large-scale studies and researchers\' sensitivity to power issues. As well, theoretical assumptions and conceptualizations of DI and FA driving psychological research may need revision to explain empirical patterns.
摘要:
发育不稳定(DI)是指个体在给定的条件下无法产生特定的发育结果,通常认为是由开发过程中经历的随机扰动引起的。波动不对称(FA)-双边特征上的不对称,平均而言,是对称的(或与设计产生的不对称偏离)-已用于测量DI。追溯到半个世纪前,在过去的三十年里,心理学研究人员研究了FA(通常根据身体或面部特征测量)与许多感兴趣的结果之间的关联,包括心理障碍,认知能力,吸引力,和性行为。十年前,对近100项研究结果的荟萃分析得出了几个结论.平均而言,FA和感兴趣的特征之间存在较小但统计上可靠的关联。虽然谦虚,预计这些关联会大大低估与基础DI的关联强度。尽管研究中的样本量很大,我们仍然缺乏一个很好的处理哪些性状受DI影响最大。荟萃分析的一个主要方法论含义是,大多数研究都是,个别,检测关联的能力严重不足。虽然提供了一些有趣的发现,许多研究也是过去十年的动力不足;因此,较新的文献也可能是嘈杂的。一些大规模的研究是例外。未来的进展取决于额外的大规模研究和研究人员对电力问题的敏感性。同样,DI和FA驱动心理学研究的理论假设和概念化可能需要修正以解释经验模式。