A01 parental investment Flashcards
What is parental investment
Any investment by a parent in an offspring that increases the offspring’s survival at the expense of that parents ability to invest in any other offspring (alive or to be born)
What are the 2 sub titles for the six differences on parental investment
Maternal investment
Paternal investment
What are the 2 sections for maternal investment
Why do human females invest more
The cost if maternal investment
Intro to maternal investment
Investment is greater cz they produce fewer gametes than males produce gametes
Also cz females can be certain that the child is theirs but males can’t. So females are more likely to invest more cz they no know it’s theirs
Why do human females invest more
Because they have an extended period of childcare compared to males e.g. breastfeeding
So not only do they make the greater prenatal contribution of resources through pregnancy but also make the larger postnatal contribution
Talk about the costs of maternal investment
They’re high for a female
Min investment for female would be 9 months pregnancy and a few years of childcare. Men only need few moments of copulation and a teaspoonful of semen.
This makes random mating for human females
What are the 2 paternal sections
Paternal investment and cuckoldry
Sexual and 3 motivates jealousy.
Intro for paternal investment
Less than that of females
1 cz they can father an unlimited amount of children whereas women produce a limited amount
2 female must carry the embryo for 9 months and take care if it tears whereas the male can simply walk away after fertilisation
This means that indiscriminate mating by women coukd be very costky in terms if time and resources. But less costly for a man
Talk about paternal investment and cuckoldry
They must protect themselves from risk of cuckoldry therefore they are concerned about sexual infidelity in female partner
Talk a about sexual and emotional jealousy
Sexual jealousy is said to have evolved in males as a a solution to the problem if possible cuckoldry