BIOAPPERQ - Wedekind (1995) Flashcards
aim
to determine whether one’s MHC would affect mate choice.
MHC
MHC - a group of genes that play an important role in the immune system. MHC genes make molecules that enable the immune system to recognize pathogens; in general, the more diverse the MHC genes of the parents the stronger the immune system of the offspring
participants
49 female and 44 male students from the University of Bern, Switzerland.
procedure
MEN - were asked to wear a T-shirt for two nights and to keep the T-shirt in an open plastic bag during the day. They were given perfume-free detergent to wash clothes and bedclothes and perfume-free soap for showering. They were asked not to use any deodorants or perfumes, to refrain from smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol, to avoid all spicy foods, and to not engage in any sexual activity.
WOMEN - were asked to rank the smell of 7 t-shirts, each in a cardboard box with a “smelling hole.” The women were tested whenever possible in the second week after the beginning of menstruation, as women appear to be most odor-sensitive at this time. The women were also asked to prepare themselves for the experiment by using a nose spray for the 14 days before the experiment
findings
women scored male body odors as more pleasant when they differed from their own MHC than when they were more similar. This difference in odor assessment was reversed when the women rating the odors were taking oral contraceptives
this suggests that the MHC may influence human mate choice.
evaluation
replicable
The study has been successfully replicated by Jacob et al (2002)
reductionist
over-simplifies the behavior of human mate selection by bringing it down to the MHC – ignoring cognitive and sociocultural factors.
doublie blind experiment
neither the researchers nor the participants were aware of which t-shirt they were being exposed to at any point in the study. This was done to minimize demand characteristics.
