BA approach Flashcards
Intro
-Argues that human attraction has its roots in natural selection, which consists in the idea that we are attracted to the traits that would have the greatest advantage for our potential offspring.
Sexual selection theory describes how evolution has shaped us to provide a mating advantage rather than just a survival advantage and occurs through two distinct pathways:
(1) intersex selection: members of one biological sex choose partners of the other sex to mate with,
(2) intrasexual selection: competition with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex.
MHC
Major Histocompatibility Complex:
-Codominant group of genes (genes from both parents are expressed).
-Plays a role in the immune system, the more diverse the MHC is, the stronger the immune system is.
-Also play a role in odor-based individual recognition and mate choice.
Individuals are more attracted to the body scent of those who differ in MHC genes.
This said attraction of distinct MHC, has two main purposes.
(1) Incest avoidance- which explains how relatives are more likely to share MHC alleles with each other than non-relatives.
(2) Healthier offspring– which defends against a wide range of distinct types of pathogens.
Furthermore, the MHC-dissimilairy has also been linked to greater relationship quality and sexual satisfaction in existing couples as well as better reproductive health.
Wedekind (1995)
Aim: Determine whether MHC genes affected mate choice.
Procedure:
- The men were asked to wear a t-shirt for 2 nights and were told to keep the t-shirt in a plastic bag during the day.
- The study was a double-blind experiment, meaning neither the researcher nor the participants were aware of which t-shirt they were being exposed to at any point in the study in order to minimize researcher bias in the experimenters and demand characteristics in the participants.
- They were also asked to refrain from doing certain activities such as smoking, drinking, eating spicy food, doing any sexual activity, and using products with fragrances.
- Afterward, the t-shirts were placed in 7 boxes and the researchers asked the women to smell the shirts through the smelling hole. In 3 boxes, the t-shirt had similar MHC genes as the woman, the other 3 had differing MHC genes, and one had no scent.
The women were then asked to rank the pleasantness and intensity of the odor of the t-shirts.
Results:
-Females were more likely to give higher ratings for t-shirts that had differing MHC genes than when they were similar.
Limitations of Wedekind
Low ecological validity:
As people are not exposed to smelling shirts for mate choice
gender biased: the male preference of MHC levels was not measured, only that of women
The sample, however, may not be considered representative as the participants were similar in age and culture.
Strengths: double blind procedure, lowering demand characteristics and bias
Ethical considerations
The study also met ethical standards as consent was obtained from all participants and they were debriefed.
Waist to hip ratio (Singh 1993)
Indicator of sex hormones, succes in pregnancy and risk in obtaining disease
Low WHR:
- indicates high fertility
- facilitates baby delivery by having a large pelvis for the relatively large head of the newborn and baby and fetus development; the fat deposited around the hips contains fatty acids that are beneficial for brain development of the fetus and infant.
-Also indicates health, as high WHR values are associated with mortality and many medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, etc.
Singh (1993)
Aim: investigate how waist to hip rate affects mate choice or preference in men
Sample: 106 mean: 72 white and 34 latino
Procedure:
They were given a paper with 12 sets of drawings of women
Different BMI’s: underwieght, normal, overweight
Different WHR: 0.L7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0
They were asked to rate in terms of physical attractivness, as well as health, how young they looked and being able to carry a child on a scale from 1 to 12, 1 being most attractive, 12 being the least attractive .
Results: men normally preffered the normal weight and the WHR of 0.7 as they appeared the healthiest, followed by 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0
Limitations of BA approach
Research methods: most studies conclude on correlations by nature, hence, not to provide a true cause-and-effect relationship.
Lab setting: highly artificial and therefore lack ecological validity.
Reductionist: does not consider the cognitive approach of human relationships, in which personality comes into play
-Also not considering role of biology in attraction between homosexual couples as it takes into consideration some features that are attractive to people of the opposite sex, and how that affects mate choice.
