attraction Flashcards
direct benefits>
Females invest more in reproduction and have fewer opportunities to breed so therefore are choosier
Direct benefits > help rear succesful offspring, chosing a male that has good fitness
Direct benefits = provisioning, vigliance, resource defence, carrying , low infection rate – high quality care
Peacocks provide no maternal care
indicator traits?
phenotypic characteristics that cue underlying genetic qualities > peahens prefer peacocks with more elaborate trains > improved growth and survival of offspring of peacocks with more elaborate trains
universal preferences?
Traits used in attractiveness judgements
> traits: symmetry, dominance, health age, compatibility ect
> cues: body shape/size, body odour, intelligence , vocal characteristics, facial physiognomy, behaviour
symmetery
Fluctuating asymmetry
Smal deviations from bilateral symmetry
Assumed the result of environmental stressors influencing ontogenetic development
Stressors could include poor nutrition, disease
Small FA therefore thought to indicate “good genes”
Negative correlation between body FA and weight/height , the more symmetrical bodies the larger/taller they were
Correlation between symmetry and attractiveness in real and morphed images
Why is symmetry prefered > perceptual bias = the visual stimuli processes symmetric stimuli more easily , adaptive bias = symmetrical characteristics reveal something important about each other
Symmetry effects should be emphasized in mate choice relevant ( or other socially relevant presentations)
context dependent bias?
women show an opposite-sex bias in sensitivity to facial symmetry < mate choice benefits in distinguishing facial symmetry
is symmetery everything?
Symmetry is not everything - symmetry correlates with assesment but does not drive it > other factors must also be important
genetic quality
GENETIC QUALITY SHOULD BE EVIDENT IN DIFFERENT TRAITS
WE SHOULD SEE CORRELATIONS IN RELATIVE ATTRACTIVENESS ACROSS DIFFFERENT TRAITS
> ODOUR AND FACES (SYMMETRY) ARE POSITIVELY CORRELLATED
assortative mating?
Narcisuss – greek – fell in love with his own reflection in a pool and died by the pool
Assortative mating = mating within type > like prefers like
Also called, homogamy < positive assortative mating
Alternatives = random mating, dissociative mating, negative assortative mating
sexual imprinting?
form of learning
Early exposure to parental characteristics affects later mate preferences
Imprinting-like effects in humans
People preferred traits in potential partners that match their opposite-sex parent.
Age – participants with young parents had a higher preference for younger faces
condition dependent?
Mate preferences reflect idealized choices
But often, idealized choices are unreciprocated
“bargaining power” reflected by mate value
What should relatively low individuals do? - employ deception : eg > withholding age information in lonely heart adverts
Individuals with low barganing power can adjust their sexual strategy > aka > low ranking males contribute more to paternal care > “cads and dads” mating strategies
A third strategy would be to adjust standards > mate value correlates with “pickiness”
Girls get prettier at closing time of a club according to men < less pickiness , alcohol effect
Individuals tend to match your attractiveness with those of potential partners – matching hypothesis
Mismatches are striking – compensatory traits
dark triad traits
Manipulative, scheming, arrogant, vain, self absorbed, reckless ect
4 ways to maintai variability?
Condition dependence
Sexual imprinting
Assortative mating
Integration of traits
male preferences?
Summarised by preferences for age and fertility
Age
Female faces preferred if > large eyes, small noses, full lips
Fertility > waist to hip ratio , or , BMI
hetereozygosity?
Females value heterozygosity in their offspring < indirect benefits
Value it in some conditions in their males
Mating advantage
Mate preference
sexual dimorphism
cues of strenght, dominance, virilaty > testosterone
cues of youth, vitality, fertility > estrogen
