Buss Flashcards
Procedure of buss
Two questionnaires:
Buss carried out cross cultural questionnaires
37 samples from 33 countries and over 6 continents.
10,047 participants
5,446 women
4,601 men
Average age of 23.05 years
The largest sample came from America 1,670
Smallest Iran which was 55
Opportunity and self-selecting sample
The first questionnaire asked questions regarding important characteristics affecting mate choice such as good financial prospects, attractiveness and ambitious
Also had 18 characteristics on a 4 point likert scale from 0- unimportant to 3- indispensable
The second questionnaire, ranking desirability of 13 characteristics such as “physical attractiveness” and “good earning capacity” and “chastity” , if a characteristic was given a 1 it was highly valued if 13 it was of low value
Context and Aims of buss
Evolutionary Psychology Darwin, believed that survival of the fittest was necessary to secure the continuation of genetics is called the evolutionary theory, proposed that males and females have a similar driving force to reproduce and pass it on to future generations.
There are three main factors that are to be taken into account with Partners,
one for females: Trivers 1972- Parental Investment, women are interested in men who are Ambitious and Industrious, these men will be able to look after them and the children, where women put great investment into pregnancy and childrearing.
Two for males: Fertility/Reproductive Value, it is assumed that males prefer younger more physically attractive females who will be able to have children in the future (higher reproductive value) rather than the immediate fertility rate.
And Chastity, women who have had no previous sexual partners so males can be sure that their children is theres.
Previous studies in mate preferences looked into evidence from non-human species, this is inadequate at generalising to human preferences.
The aim was to discover the driving forces between male and female sexual mate preferences over different ecologies, ethnicities etc
Buss hypothesised that women would find ambitious, hardworking men w/ high earning capacity important, where as men would find physical attractiveness, chaste and younger women a pulling factor when choosing a mate.
Evaluation of the methodology of buss
Buss used two questionnaires across 37 samples, he conducted this across cultures, by using two questionnaire per a participant he made the findings more reliable and valid, allows a quick and easy method of analysis, to which the answers can be checked against each other for consistency. However a weakness is that questionnaires are a self-report method, where participants may not be truthful as they may want to please the researcher with socially acceptable answers.
There is good validity through control measures such as translating the language for the purpose of fair understanding across cultures. Buss also worded the questionnaires using terms that weren’t bias towards any gender for example ‘physical attractiveness’ rather than handsome or beautiful which is a strength.
Validity checks against 27 out of the 33 countries found that the demographic data of marriages, reflected the sexual mate preference of age, 25.3 average age of wives and 28.2 ave age of grooms. Findings are valid of real life.
The sampling method of the study varied between self-selection and opportunity based sampling, as a weakness this means that participants chosen may not be representative of their culture, also the sample was over 10,000 participants across 37 cultures which makes it generalisable, however a weakness is that some of the samples were underrepresented such as Iran.
The use of questionnaires gave the participants informed consent to the purpose of the study, so they were not deceived and also had confidentiality secured as there were no names included within the study, saving them from stress or embarrassment.
Findings of buss
Buss found that in all of the samples but one (36/37) females valued good financial prospects important in a prospective mate, the exception was Spain where males valued it in their female mate.
In 29/37 of the samples it was gathered that female participants found ambitious and industriousness as more important than males, in 3 cultures males thought this was more important in women than women thought in men. (Spain, Columbia and South Africa)
In 34 of 37 of the samples, it was found that males regard physical attractiveness as important to a female mate.
Also found in 23/37 of the samples that males value chastity in a mate, whereas women showed no preference to this.
Men preferred younger mates mean of years 2.66 years younger
Whereas females preferred older mates at the mean, 3.42 years years older than them
Buss concluded that the study can support the evolutionary theory to sexual mate preferences. Females take into account good financial prospects and ambition more than men, where men value, age, attractiveness and chastity (lesser than all) when considering their mate.
In conclusion, the theory which includes that parental investment, reproductive value and parental probability is essential to mate selection.
Alternative evidence of buss
Davis, 386 lonely hearts advertisements from a Canadian Newspaper, found that females regard financial and intellectual status as important, whereas males look for physical attractiveness. This study supports Buss’ findings that the evolutionary theory plays a role in the sexual mate preferences. However Davis study is much smaller than Buss’ and this is a weakness as it cannot be generalisable as is Buss’,Davis’ study only looks at the preferences of one culture and is not representative of cross cultures like Buss who had studied 37 cultures.
Singh (1993) waist to hip ratio, that men regard waist to hip ratio as a signifier of youth and fertility, a large bottom suggests fat reserves good for pregnancy usually with a flat stomach an indication of not being pregnant.
Little et al (2007) studied the importance of facial symmetry in the UK and a tribe called the Hadza in Tanzania, little found that it was regarded as more important in the Hadza, facial symmetry suggests good health and fits the requirement for attractiveness, where asymmetrical facial features are found in people with illnesses.
This supports males favouring physical attractiveness and furthers to go onto different cultures preferring attractiveness.
