Pekka Santtila
Biographic Data
| ID | 370980 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Pekka Santtila |
| GIVEN NAMES | Pekka |
| FAMILY NAME | Santtila |
| SIGNATURE | SANTTILA P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Åbo Akademi University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0459-1309 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 54 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 240 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 54 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Appraising the Task: A Mega-Analysis of Interviewers’ Challenge-Threat Assessments and Their Performance in Simulated Child Investigative Interviews
Large Language Model (LLM) and Human Performance in Child Investigative Interviewing Question Formulation Tasks
We compared the performance of large language models (LLMs) and humans with various levels of expertise in child investigative interviewing on tasks related to question formulation. Two tasks were employed: a static Interview Excerpt Task where participants (60 psychologists, 60 naive participants, GPT‐4, and Llama‐2) formulated follow‐up questions to 100 interview excerpts, and a dynamic Avatar Interviewing Task where participants (32 profession…
Retention of Training Effects in Police Officers Following Scalable AI Simulations of Child Sexual Abuse Interviews
Child sexual abuse (CSA) investigations require high‐quality interviews, but maintaining interviewing skills long‐term has been challenging. This study investigated the long‐term effectiveness of avatar‐based interview training for CSA investigations among 478 police officers. Participants were randomly assigned to single booster ( n = 291) or double booster ( n = 187) groups. Following initial training, the single booster group received reinforc…
Using large language model–based artificial intelligence (AI) suspects to train strategic use of evidence: Preliminary evidence of transfer to mock suspect interviews
OBJECTIVE: The strategic use of evidence (SUE) is a technique that aims to improve the ability to differentiate between liars and truth-tellers. However, while theoretical training provides guidance on interview techniques, it lacks opportunities for practical application. HYPOTHESES: We created two large language model driven artificial intelligence (AI) suspects with whom participants could simulate interviews and hypothesized that these simula…
Effects of Ginger Supplementation on Sexual Behavior and Sexual Functioning: Evidence from Cross-Sectional, Experimental, and Longitudinal Studies
Objectives Sexual well-being is a central component of overall health, whereas problems in sexual behavior or functioning are closely linked to diminished intimacy, reduced sexual satisfaction, and deteriorated relationship quality. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has long been traditionally used as an aphrodisiac, yet systematic empirical validation is lacking. This research examined the effects of ginger on sexual behavior and functioning in non-c…
Sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of school shooters in the United States: A systematic review of the literature
The scarcity and fragmentation of data are linked to methodological heterogeneity and the lack of standardized protocols for data collection and analysis. Future research should prioritize the development of uniform methodologies to improve data quality and comparability. This would facilitate a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and strengthen preventive strategies. The review underscores the urgency of overcoming current research dispersion…
Holistic Mapping of Psychosocial Stress Patterns for Personalized Mental Health Solutions Among Sexual Minority Men in China
Large language models (LLMs) as jurors: Assessing the potential of LLMs in legal contexts
OBJECTIVE: We explored the potential of large language models (LLMs) in legal decision making by replicating Fraser et al. (2023) mock jury experiment using LLMs (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and GPT-o1) as decision makers. We investigated LLMs' reactions to factors that influenced human jurors, including defendant race, social status, number of allegations, and reporting delay in sexual assault cases. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that LLMs would sh…
Gender Diversity in Chinese Young Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model on Other Gender(s) Identity and Childhood Gender Non-conformity Involving Gender Socialisation of Expression and Role
Getting What You Want: How Disclosing Sexual Likes and Dislikes is Associated with Sexual and Relational Outcomes and the Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness
Sexual self-disclosure to romantic partners is beneficial for maintaining satisfying sexual and intimate relationships for both men and women. However, researchers predominantly conceptualize sexual self-disclosure as a unidimensional construct and have not explored whether disclosing sexual likes versus dislikes are associated with different outcomes. We examined the associations between sexual self-disclosure with different valences and sexual …
Large language models' knowledge of children's memory and suggestibility: Evaluating model predictions of prior experimental results
Predictors and memory consequences of dating decisions in a dating app-analogue study
With the rise of dating apps, people have access to a vast pool of potential partners at their fingertips. The present study examined how various factors would predict an individual's dating decisions in a dating app-analogue study. Participants ( N = 269) first completed some trait measures and then a mock-dating task in which they judged the attractiveness of a series of targets and then decided whether to match with the target or not. Their me…
Intentions to be Vaccinated Against Covid-19: The Role of Prosociality and Conspiracy Beliefs across 20 Countries
Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is important to inform policy decisions and plan vaccination campaigns. The aims of this research were to: (1) explore the individual- and country-level determinants of intentions to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, and (2) examine worldwide variation in vaccination intentions. This cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the first wave of the pandemic, involving 6697 responden…
Predictors of attitudes toward potentially having a lesbian, gay, or bisexual child among Chinese heterosexual adults
Parental acceptance is a robust protective factor for lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) individuals' mental health, yet its predictors have not been frequently studied in China. The present study examined predictors of Chinese heterosexual adults' attitudes toward potentially having an LGB child. Participants were 700 Chinese nationals (37.6% women and 62.4% men) aged 18–64 who identified as exclusively heterosexual and did not have an LGB child. W…
Tower of Babel or Lighthouse? The State of Research on Neuroelectric Correlates of Human Sexuality: A Response to the Commentaries
ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive) provides open and worldwide access to the research and scholarly output of the University of Zurich, Switzerland. A focus is on qualified scientific publications. ZORA is operated by the University Library together with the Central IT of the University of Zurich
Neuroelectric Correlates of Human Sexuality: A Review and Meta-Analysis
Pandemic boredom: Little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries
Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional "lockdown") may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was empirical evidence to support this concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-national sampl…
Identifying important individual‐ and country‐level predictors of conspiracy theorizing: A machine learning analysis
Psychological research on the predictors of conspiracy theorizing—explaining important social and political events or circumstances as secret plots by malevolent groups—has flourished in recent years. However, research has typically examined only a small number of predictors in one, or a small number of, national contexts. Such approaches make it difficult to examine the relative importance of predictors, and risk overlooking some potentially rel…
An Agent-Based Model of Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Short-Term Mating Behaviors as a Result of Mating Preferences
Sex differences in short-term mating behaviors are well-documented in human sexuality research. Existing studies usually explain sex differences in sexual behaviors through differences in mating preferences, which is theoretically problematic. Using an agent-based model, we investigated the circumstances under which males' and females' differential preferences for short-term mating would result in sex differences in short-term mating behaviors. T…
Effects of Ginger on Disgust, Sexual Arousal, and Sexual Engagement: A Placebo-Controlled Experiment
Sexual problems are common complaints across countries and cultures, and behavioral immune system theory suggests disgust plays an essential role in sexual functioning. The current study investigated 1) if disgust induced by sexual body fluids would reduce sexual arousal, reduce the likelihood of sexual engagement, and enhance disgust toward subsequent erotic stimuli, and 2) if the administration of ginger would affect these reactions. We adminis…
Actual and Desired Masturbation Frequency, Sexual Distress, and Their Correlates
Lockdown Lives: A Longitudinal Study of Inter-Relationships Among Feelings of Loneliness, Social Contacts, and Solidarity During the Covid-19 Lockdown in Early 2020
We examine how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. From the PsyCorona database, we obtained longitudinal data from 23 countries, collected between March and May 2020. The results demonstrated that although online contacts help to reduce feelings of loneliness, people who feel more lonely are less likely to use that strategy. Solidarity played only a small role in s…
We are all in the same boat’: How societal discontent affects intention to help during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of society, has arisen. Literature shows that collectively experienced situations can motivate people to hel…
Linking serial homicide – towards an ecologically valid application
Purpose Crime linkage analysis (CLA) can be applied in the police investigation-phase to sift through a database to find behaviorally similar cases to the one under investigation and in the trial-phase to try to prove that the perpetrator of two or more offences is the same, by showing similarity and distinctiveness in the offences. Lately, research has moved toward more naturalistic settings, analyzing data sets that are as similar to actual cri…
Child Maltreatment and Adult Sexual Assault Victimization: Genetic and Environmental Associations
Despite the pervasiveness of adult sexual assault (ASA), evidence-based knowledge on the risk factors for sexual victimization is insufficient. Here, we investigated the etiology of ASA in a population-based Finnish twin sample. Specifically, we estimated the extent of the genetic and environmental influences on the risk of ASA, and we examined its phenotypic and genetic associations with five types of child maltreatment (CM). We found large uniq…
Sexual behavior and social adaptation among sadomasochistically‐oriented males
The present study explored the sexual behavior and social adaptation of a sample of male sadomasochists. A total of 164 men who were members of two sadomasochistically‐oriented clubs participated in the study. The numbers of heterosexual male and gay male participants were about equal. A semi‐structured questionnaire containing items related to social, sexual, and psychological aspects of the participants' lives was used. The results showed that …
Common Genetic Effects of Gender Atypical Behavior in Childhood and Sexual Orientation in Adulthood: A Study of Finnish Twins
Sadomasochistically Oriented Behavior: Diversity in Practice and Meaning
Differences and Similarities Between Gay and Straight Individuals Involved in the Sadomasochistic Subculture
Results from some new analyses as well as a selective review of the results of six empirical studies on a self-identified sample of sadomasochistically-oriented individuals (22 women and 162 men) with an emphasis on differences between gay and straight participants are presented. The gay male respondents seemed to be better educated, to hold white-collar occupations and to be more sadistically oriented. The gay male respondents became aware of th…
Psychiatric Symptoms and Same-Sex Sexual Attraction and Behavior in Light of Childhood Gender Atypical Behavior and Parental Relationships
This study explores the relation between the level of current symptoms of depression and anxiety and recalled childhood gender atypical behavior (GAB), and quality of relationships with parents among men and women who reported same-sex sexual attraction or engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and men and women who did not. Matched pairs, 79 men (n = 158) and 148 women (n = 296), with equal levels of GAB were created of Finnish participants with ei…
Conflicted Gender Identity, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Adult Men and Women
The Adult Body: How Age, Gender, and Body Mass Index Are Related to Body Image
OBJECTIVE. Body image and perceived attractiveness were examined, and the impact of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) was analyzed and discussed from an evolutionary and a sociocultural perspective. METHOD. The population-based sample consisted of 11,468 Finnish men and women aged 18 to 49 years. RESULTS. Both age-related decrease and increase in body satisfaction was detected as well as interactions between age and gender. Some effects were…
Genetic and Environmental Effects on Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition in Men
The Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) measure the propensity for sexual inhibition and excitation in men. According to the theoretical model underlying the SIS/SES, sexual response and associated behavior depend on dual control mechanisms in the brain involving the balance of excitatory and inhibitory systems which impinge on sexual response. Previous research with the SIS/SES has indicated one higher-order excitatory facto…
Paraphilic Sexual Interests and Sexually Coercive Behavior: A Population-Based Twin Study
Finnish Women and Men Who Self-Report No Sexual Attraction in the Past 12 Months: Prevalence, Relationship Status, and Sexual Behavior History
Investigating the Underlying Structure in Sadomasochistically Oriented Behavior
Characteristics of a Sample of Sadomasochistically-Oriented Males With Recent Experience of Sexual Contact With Animals
The present study focused on the ways in which a small subset of sadomasochistically-oriented males have incorporated, during the last 12 months, the use of animals into their sexual practices. The respondents (12 men or 7.3% of the entire sample) were derived from a larger survey into the sexual practices and characteristics of sadomasochistically oriented individuals. A matched control group of 12 individuals was also selected from the initial …
The Association Between Childhood Gender Atypical Behavior and Adult Psychiatric Symptoms is Moderated by Parenting Style
Gender and Visibility of Sexual Cues Influence Eye Movements While Viewing Faces and Bodies
Sexually Coercive Behavior Following Childhood Maltreatment
Evaluation of the Female Sexual Function Index in a Population Based Sample from Finland
Using offender crime scene behavior to link stranger sexual assaults: A comparison of three statistical approaches
Genetic effects on male sexual coercion
The genetic and environmental influences on sexual coercion, and to what extent its associations with alcohol use and psychopathy depend on shared genetic and environmental effects, were explored in a Finnish population‐based sample of 938 men, aged 33–43 years, using the classical twin study design. All three phenotypes were associated positively and affected by genes (sexual coercion 28%, alcohol use 60%, psychopathy 54%), with 46% of the corre…
Identifying important individual‐ and country‐level predictors of conspiracy theorizing: A machine learning analysis
Psychological research on the predictors of conspiracy theorizing—explaining important social and political events or circumstances as secret plots by malevolent groups—has flourished in recent years. However, research has typically examined only a small number of predictors in one, or a small number of, national contexts. Such approaches make it difficult to examine the relative importance of predictors, and risk overlooking some potentially rel…
Adult-Adult and Adult-Child/Adolescent Online Sexual Interactions: An Exploratory Self-Report Study on the Role of Situational Factors
Alcohol intoxication, sexual arousal, and negative emotional states have been found to precede certain sexual behaviors. Using data from an online self-report survey distributed to adults (N = 717; 423 men and 304 women), we compared adults with adult online sexual interactions (n = 640; 89.3%) to adults with interactions with a child or an adolescent (n = 77; 10.7%) on how much they reported being affected by the following factors surrounding th…
We are all in the same boat’: How societal discontent affects intention to help during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of society, has arisen. Literature shows that collectively experienced situations can motivate people to hel…
Linking serial homicide – towards an ecologically valid application
Purpose Crime linkage analysis (CLA) can be applied in the police investigation-phase to sift through a database to find behaviorally similar cases to the one under investigation and in the trial-phase to try to prove that the perpetrator of two or more offences is the same, by showing similarity and distinctiveness in the offences. Lately, research has moved toward more naturalistic settings, analyzing data sets that are as similar to actual cri…
Assessment of Pedophilic Sexual Interest with an Attentional Choice Reaction Time Task
Topography of Human Erogenous Zones
Sexual behavior and social adaptation among sadomasochistically‐oriented males
The present study explored the sexual behavior and social adaptation of a sample of male sadomasochists. A total of 164 men who were members of two sadomasochistically‐oriented clubs participated in the study. The numbers of heterosexual male and gay male participants were about equal. A semi‐structured questionnaire containing items related to social, sexual, and psychological aspects of the participants' lives was used. The results showed that …
Sadomasochistically Oriented Behavior: Diversity in Practice and Meaning
Investigating the Underlying Structure in Sadomasochistically Oriented Behavior
Characteristics of a Sample of Sadomasochistically-Oriented Males With Recent Experience of Sexual Contact With Animals
The present study focused on the ways in which a small subset of sadomasochistically-oriented males have incorporated, during the last 12 months, the use of animals into their sexual practices. The respondents (12 men or 7.3% of the entire sample) were derived from a larger survey into the sexual practices and characteristics of sadomasochistically oriented individuals. A matched control group of 12 individuals was also selected from the initial …
Differences and Similarities Between Gay and Straight Individuals Involved in the Sadomasochistic Subculture
Results from some new analyses as well as a selective review of the results of six empirical studies on a self-identified sample of sadomasochistically-oriented individuals (22 women and 162 men) with an emphasis on differences between gay and straight participants are presented. The gay male respondents seemed to be better educated, to hold white-collar occupations and to be more sadistically oriented. The gay male respondents became aware of th…
Genetic and Environmental Effects on Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition in Men
The Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) measure the propensity for sexual inhibition and excitation in men. According to the theoretical model underlying the SIS/SES, sexual response and associated behavior depend on dual control mechanisms in the brain involving the balance of excitatory and inhibitory systems which impinge on sexual response. Previous research with the SIS/SES has indicated one higher-order excitatory facto…
The Association Between Childhood Gender Atypical Behavior and Adult Psychiatric Symptoms is Moderated by Parenting Style
Genetic effects on male sexual coercion
The genetic and environmental influences on sexual coercion, and to what extent its associations with alcohol use and psychopathy depend on shared genetic and environmental effects, were explored in a Finnish population‐based sample of 938 men, aged 33–43 years, using the classical twin study design. All three phenotypes were associated positively and affected by genes (sexual coercion 28%, alcohol use 60%, psychopathy 54%), with 46% of the corre…
Evaluation of the Female Sexual Function Index in a Population Based Sample from Finland
Testing Miller's theory of alleles preventing androgenization as an evolutionary explanation for the genetic predisposition for male homosexuality
The Adult Body: How Age, Gender, and Body Mass Index Are Related to Body Image
OBJECTIVE. Body image and perceived attractiveness were examined, and the impact of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) was analyzed and discussed from an evolutionary and a sociocultural perspective. METHOD. The population-based sample consisted of 11,468 Finnish men and women aged 18 to 49 years. RESULTS. Both age-related decrease and increase in body satisfaction was detected as well as interactions between age and gender. Some effects were…
Psychiatric Symptoms and Same-Sex Sexual Attraction and Behavior in Light of Childhood Gender Atypical Behavior and Parental Relationships
This study explores the relation between the level of current symptoms of depression and anxiety and recalled childhood gender atypical behavior (GAB), and quality of relationships with parents among men and women who reported same-sex sexual attraction or engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and men and women who did not. Matched pairs, 79 men (n = 158) and 148 women (n = 296), with equal levels of GAB were created of Finnish participants with ei…
Conflicted Gender Identity, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Adult Men and Women
Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Investigate Associations between Ejaculatory Latency and Control in Partnered and Non-Partnered Sexual Activities
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used to investigate associations between, and variations in, ejaculatory control and ejaculation latency time (ELT) over repeated measurements of sexual activities. Differences between measures recorded in partnered or non-partnered settings were also investigated. The sample consisted of 21 male Finns aged 18 years or above, contributing a total of 158 reports of partnered and non-partnered sexual activi…
Assessment of Pedophilic Sexual Interest with an Attentional Choice Reaction Time Task
Common Genetic Effects of Gender Atypical Behavior in Childhood and Sexual Orientation in Adulthood: A Study of Finnish Twins
Sexual Body Image and Its Correlates: A Population-Based Study of Finnish Women and Men
Sexual body image was examined in a population-based sample of 9,532 Finnish men and women, age 18 to 49 years. More than one half of women and men were satisfied with their genitals, one half of the women were satisfied with their breasts. Higher levels of genital satisfaction were related to higher frequencies of sexual behavior and better sexual function for both genders. For men, penis size satisfaction was associated with lower levels of pre…
Disgust elicited by third-party incest: The roles of biological relatedness, co-residence, and family relationship
Gender and Visibility of Sexual Cues Influence Eye Movements While Viewing Faces and Bodies
Adult-Adult and Adult-Child/Adolescent Online Sexual Interactions: An Exploratory Self-Report Study on the Role of Situational Factors
Alcohol intoxication, sexual arousal, and negative emotional states have been found to precede certain sexual behaviors. Using data from an online self-report survey distributed to adults (N = 717; 423 men and 304 women), we compared adults with adult online sexual interactions (n = 640; 89.3%) to adults with interactions with a child or an adolescent (n = 77; 10.7%) on how much they reported being affected by the following factors surrounding th…
Finnish Women and Men Who Self-Report No Sexual Attraction in the Past 12 Months: Prevalence, Relationship Status, and Sexual Behavior History
Women's and men's sexual preferences and activities with respect to the partner's age: Evidence for female choice
Genetic analysis of human extrapair mating: Heritability, between-sex correlation, and receptor genes for vasopressin and oxytocin
Sexually Coercive Behavior Following Childhood Maltreatment
Paraphilic Sexual Interests and Sexually Coercive Behavior: A Population-Based Twin Study
Psychology (44 works) · Developmental psychology (31 works) · Social Psychology (28 works) · Clinical Psychology (22 works) · Medicine (20 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (16 works) · Demography (15 works) · Sexual behavior (15 works) · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology (15 works) · Population (14 works)