42 (2004) 155), who found that socially anxious individuals accurately recalled threat-relevant information but subsequently imposed a biased interpretation upon that same material, using more ecologically valid stimuli.
This confirmed our second hypothesis and lends further support to the model of limbic hyperactivity in depression by the use of ecologically valid stimuli.
Thus whilst MOT is sensitive to certain aspects of "biologicalness", these sensitivities do not amount to a strong specialization for tracking biological, naturalistic, or ecologically valid stimuli.
Results showed that participants could use the cues to anticipate the appearance of both stimuli, since a behavioral advantage was observed for all valid stimuli, regardless of their degree of familiarity.
Indeed, when memory for the specific pitch of ecologically valid stimuli (e.g., pop songs, TV theme music, the dial tone) is examined without note-naming requirements, musically untrained children [5], [6] and adults [7] [10] demonstrate remarkably accurate memory for pitch.
Because pictures of spiders seem to be more ecologically valid stimuli for spider phobic persons than spider-related words, one would have expected the opposite effect.
This failure to find preferences for masculinity is not attributable to the use of novel stimuli such as composite photographs indeed, using more ecologically valid stimuli seems to reduce, rather than increase, reported preferences for masculinity (Scott and Penton-Voak 2011).
Some methodological difficulties recur across much of the cognitive and neuroscience research on gamblers' decision making: many gambling tasks do not involve ecologically valid stimuli or genuine monetary rewards, and even when real money is available, it is questionable whether the sums used have similar subjective value to seasoned gamblers and nongamblers.
The use of more ecologically valid stimuli, investigations of real mate choice (or, perhaps more practically, "mate choice" constrained by the researchers, such as in "speed dating" studies), and cross-cultural evidence from outside of Western/postindustrial populations would strengthen claims in this area considerably.
