Buss 1989 Flashcards
What was the aim
To see if evolutionary explanations for sex differences in human mate preferences are found in cultures
Method
It was a survey of mate differences in different countries. The questionnaire was used and 37 samples were taken from 33 countries, 6 continents and 5 islands. The total sample size was 10,047 they varied in size such as 55 in iran and 1,491 in mainland america. The mean age was 23.05 years and in countries with multiple ethnic groups they took samples from each group. Sampling techniques varied in countries such as in west Germany they used newspaper advertisements while in new Zealand they used high school students. The questionnaire also had to be altered at times to account for cultural differences
What was the different parts of the questionaires
Part one collected biographical data
Part two mate preferences(preffered age to marry, preffered age difference)
Part three participants had to rate 18 characteristics one a 4 point scale
Findings
Across six continents women (more than men) wanted mates who were rich in resources
The majority of men in the study placed far greater emphasis on physical attractiveness in their mating partners than women did
The majority of men in the study wanted a woman younger than themselves. Buss concluded that this was because in many cultures younger women are perceived as more fertile
There was no difference between the sexes about what personal characteristics were desired in a mate- both men and woman wanted a kind and intelligent and dependable partner all indicators buss concluded who would make good parents
Conclusions
In general these findings show that
Evolutionary explanations of sex differences in human mate preferences are appropriate
That mate preferences are not just explained in terms of female choosiness since both males and females showed preferences
Cultural influences matter as there was cultural differences
Strengths
Questionnaires were used which can be easily repeated so data can be collected from large numbers of people quickly and cheaply
Respondents may feel more willing to reveal personal/confidential information when writing their own answers than jn an jnterview
Findings can be generalised to the general population as there was a large population and cultural and educational differences
Extensive efforts were made to ensure that all respondents understood the questions however this means that questions could be taken out of context
Weaknesses
Answers may not be truthful due to leading questions and the social desirability bias
The sample may be biased because only certain types of people fill in questionnaires
The sample was biased as different cultures were dominated by westernised industrialised nations and these sample’s contribute 7,749 of the sample
Buss acknowledged that rural and less educated people were under reprsented
