A - Evolution (Infidelity and Jealousy) Flashcards
What is Evolution?
Competition for survival between organisms (inc. humans) which has led to certain adaptations which are ‘selected for’
What is Infidelity?
The process of being unfaithful to your partner (risk of cuckoldry, not adaptive)
Name 3 mate retention strategies
- Uxoricide (man killing women)
- Prohibiting partners from speaking to other men
- Verbal/physical aggression
What can trigger sexual jealousy? and why is it potentially adaptive?
Sexual infidelity from both males and females
If it can prevent him/her from being unfaithful
What is cuckoldry? and What has it caused?
when a women deceives her partner into investing in offspring conceived by another man
Has caused men to adapt strategies to prevent the probability of this happening
What did Buss and Shackleford find that supports mate retention strategies?
Found men have higher use of intrasexual threat whereas women have higher use of verbal possession signals
How does the Cuckoldry Risk Hypothesis support Buss and Shackleford?
Predicts that males are more likely to use sexual coercive tactics (rape) when the risk of cuckoldry is high
What did Goete and Shackleford find that supports mate retention strategies?
Positive correlation between females whose partners had sexually coerced them and them admitting to having been sexually unfaithful
What is a problem with Goete and Shacklefords research?
Correlational research doesn’t show causal relationship
What did Cascardi and Vivian find that supports sexual jealousy?
Found jealousy was the most commonly attributed cause of aggression in a relationship
How is Cascardi and Vivian’s research further supported by Daly and Wilson?
Most killings by men on women were motivated by sexual jealousy - men (24%), women (7.7%)
How can this theory be positively applied?
Mate retention strategies could be seen as early indicators of potential violence against a female partner, friends/family may be alerted to the danger signals in advance of any future violence
