BLOA Pheromones & Evolution

Question 1

Wedekind & Furi (1997)

Answer 1

• whether females prefer male odours from males w/ dif MHC from their own vice versa
• DOUBLE-BLIND EXPERIMENT
• 120 m + f
• believed t-shirts w/ most appealing odours would belong to ppl w/ dif MHC
• individual odour plays a role in mate choice

Question 2

Thorne et al (2002)

Answer 2

• pheromones & attractiveness (ratings)
• 32 female undergrad students (FEMALES)
• came to lab on 2 occasions based on menstrual cycle phase
• counterbalanced, repeated measures design
• exposure to natural male axillary pheromones can significantly enhance female perceptions of various aspects of male attractiveness

Question 3

Hare et al (2017)

Answer 3

• whether AND or EST signal gender & affect perceptions of attractiveness
• lab experiment, 94 parti.
• exposed to AND & EST masked w/ clove oil –> cotton balls
• tasks on computers
• AND & EST have no effect on gender signaling or perceptions of attractiveness

Question 4

Buss et al (1990)

Answer 4

• cross-cultural study –> 33 countries
• are there universal traits which influence mate selection worldwide
• data collected through 2 questionnaires + translated
• women = more selective; all prefer mutual attraction + love
• humans have preferences for mates WHICH HAVE SELECTIVE ADVANTAGE

Question 5

STRENGTHS of Wedekind & Furi (1997)

Answer 5

STRENGTHS
- double-blind experiment –> unlikely demand characteristics present
- qualitative data
- large sample = high TRANSFERABILITY

Question 6

LIMITATIONS of Wedekind & Furi (1997)

Answer 6

• what participants are responding to is not pheromone but individual scent
• human sense of smell = very complex
• 400 dif kinds of odor receptors & each has genetic variations
• NO QUANTITATIVE DATA –> HARD TO SEE HOW THEY ACTUALLY WORK IN BODY
• body odors not caused by secretions but by BACTERIA that mix w/ secretions
• ASSUMPTION –> overly reductionistic, neglects all social + cognitive elements that play role in human attraction
• lacks ECOLOGICAL validity -> smelling a t-shirt?

Question 7

STRENGTHS of Thorne et al (2002)

Answer 7

• TRIANGULATED with other pheromone studies
• counter-balanced to prevent ORDER-EFFECTS (e.g. fatigue effect, practice effect)

Question 8

LIMITATIONS of Thorne et al (2002)

Answer 8

• may be prone to false positives
• beauty standards differ around the world = CULTURE
• study’s findings cannot be generalised to MALES due to biological pheromones + only female participants
• opportunity sampling may create a sampling bias
• multiple other chemicals influencing behaviour at once

Question 9

STRENGTHS of Hare et al (2017)

Answer 9

• use of control variables (e.g. clove oil) increases reliability of study + internal validity
• lots of QUANTITATIVE DATA

Question 10

LIMITATIONS of Hare et al (2017)

Answer 10

• lacking ecological validity due to the unnatural concentration of steroids & lab environment
• culture plays a key role in our sense of smell –> ENCULTURATION (confounding variable)
• observing photo / image is not the same as real-life interactions

Question 11

STRENGTHS of Buss et al (1990)

Answer 11

• representative sample therefore HIGH TRANSFERABILITY
• no gender bias
• creates better understanding of human attraction
• DATING APPS (COMPATIBILITY TESTS) + couples therapy

Question 12

LIMITATIONS of Buss et al (1990)

Answer 12

• problems of translation-back-translation –> may reduce from internal validity
• self-reported data = social desirability bias
• may have answered based on what is socially acceptable in their own cultures
• QUALITATIVE ONLY

Question 13

Limitations of Evolutionary Psychology

Answer 13

1. Evolutionary psychologists EXPLAIN but do not PREDICT
   
   • lack of explanatory capacity
   • limitations in methodology
   • degree of uncertainty
2. Not all behaviour needs to have evolved
   
   • BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM
   • evolutionary ideas may be over-extrapolated
3. Traits evolve, behaviours do not
   
   • traits will affect behaviour
   • env + culture also have effect
4. May be controversial or unethical
   
   • role of women
   • gender differences b/w men & women are not DETERMINISTIC

Question 14

INTRO FOR PHEROMONES

Answer 14

• pheromones produced individually + act outside body at species level
• EXOGENOUS
• Butenandt identified bombykol in silkworm moths
• insects + mammals have them
• not clear where such info is processed in humans
• ACCESSORY OLFACTORY BULB ISAPPEARS AFTER BIRTH, VOMERONASAL ORGAN disconnected from CNS
• primer (slow) vs signalling (rapid) pheromones

Question 15

INTRO FOR EVOLUTION

Answer 15

• PLANTS: developed by descent w/ modification from earlier existing forms
• CHANGE: happen at genetic level as genes change + combine
• NATURALLY: natural selection –> behaviours that best served gene pool passed down
• DORK: Darwin & adaptation
• ASSUME: if behaviours exist today, must have helped in past + been adaptive
• CHILLOOT: main challenge = limited data
• SURVIVING: survival of genetic material
• PROCREATING: ensured if we procreate w/ someone who has strong, healthy genes