Chapter 11: Conflict Between the Sexes Flashcards
sexual conflict
a conflict between the evolutionary interests of individuals of the two sexes
Strategic Interference
the interference between differing sexual strategies employ by
members of the opposite sex.
One of the most important short-term mating differences is the deeper desire in men for sexual variety.
As evidenced by the observations that men are more aggressive and persistent in seeking sexual access
sooner than women desire. Whereas women are more discriminating and delay intercourse beyond men’s
desire. The fact than both of these sexual strategies cannot occur together creates tension, referred to and
strategic interference
SIT also postulates that ___ ___ states are psychological solutions that have evolved in part to solve adaptive problems that result from strategic interference
negative emotions states. these negative emotions signal the sources of seual tension so actions can be initiated to counteract it.
T/F: women and men come into conflict because of the competition for resources
false. competition for resources often happen intrasexually. conflict between men and women happen because of strategic interference of mating strategies.
male sexual overperception
the phenomena that men infer sex in situations where women do not think they are giving off signals. ex/ being friendly, and then the man thinks she wants to sleep with him,
The error management theory suggests that :
cost-benefit consequences of the two errors over
time are not equal.
i. Sexual Over-Perception Bias: Men will have an evolved mechanism to avoid the costs
of missed sexual opportunities.
ii. Commitment Skepticism Bias: Women will have an evolved mechanism to
underestimate the true level of a man’s commitment to her in early courtship.
Sexual Over-Perception Bias
Men will have an evolved mechanism to avoid the costs
of missed sexual opportunities.
Commitment Skepticism Bias:
Women will have an evolved mechanism to
underestimate the true level of a man’s commitment to her in early courtship.
men with higher __ ___ are especially prone to experience the sexual overperception bias
higher mate value
recall: men with higher mate value are more likely to engage in short term mating strategies
degree of commitment skepticism bias in different ages of women
older women do not have as much commitment skepticism because they are no longer fertile.
Why do women withhold sex?
i. Make sure they choose a high quality man. Withholding increases sexes value and
men will pay a higher emotional and resource price for it.
ii. Withholding sex can increase the man’s perception of a woman’s mate value.
iii. Encourage a man to evaluate the woman as a long-term rather than a short-term mate
T/F: women who tend to pursue a short term mating strategy are more likely to become victims of sexual harassment
true
How does the degree of distress expressed by women dependent on the status of the harasser?
women are more repulsed when the harasser comes from a low status man
types of exploitability cues
1) incapacitation cues
2) physical cues
3) psychological cues (low cognitive ability)
if women are looking for a short term mate, what do they do in terms of cues?
they turn the table on men and intentionally show exploitability cues.
T/F Males and females think sexual aggression is equally upsetting
false. women think sexual aggression is way more upsetting. Males rank sexual aggression from women very low, but think cheating and infidelity is much worse
mate deprivation hypothesis. True or false?
men who have experienced deprivation of sexual access to women will be more likely to use sexually aggressive tactics
this hypothesis is not supported because the men who engage most in sexual coercion are often ranked to have high mating success
Men who are ranked to make more money are also correlated with increased amounts of sexual coercion
sperm competition hypothesis of partner rape.
partner rape represents an adaptation to sperm competition. Men whose wives have been sexually unfaithful force sex in order to combat sperm from competing males.
These results are problematic though people men who often engage in partner rape also have high levels of psychopathy
___% of men indicated that they might commit rape if there was no chance of getting caught
35%
bodyguard hypothesis in terms of female anti-rape adaptations
mate selection is based on qualities of men such as physical size and social dominance that deter other men from sexual aggression.
2 threats to mate retention
1) mate poaching
2) mate infidelity
difference in brain physiology when women vs men interpret cheating
men get more mad at physical/sexual infidelity. Shows heightened activity in the amygdala and hypothalamus
women get more mad at emotional infidelity. shows heightened activity in superior SULCUS: linked to understanding of intention, maybe inferring future intensions on the part of a mate.
Evolutionary hypothesis about sex differences in mate jealousy.
females get distressed at emotional infidelity. Males get distressed about physical infidelity.
Which sex has an infidelity overperception bias?
men have more of a bias than women. They overestimate their partner’s likelihood of sexual infidelity.
why may women try and induce jealousy in their partner?
as a strategy of indicating to their partners that they have other mating possibilities and thus communicating information about their desirability, to obtain reassurance about commitment and stability of the relationship
factors that increase mate guarding in males
1) if wife is physically attractive
2) if man doesn’t have good genes and the wife is ovulating
factor that increases mate guarding in females
3) high income and status striving of the husband will be linked with higher levels of mate retention in females
when is mate retention the most prominent?
it persists at least from the newlywed year to the fourth year of marriage
which type of men use more cost-inflicting mate retention tactics? which type of men use more benefit bestowing mate retention tactics?
men LOWER in mate value use cost-inflicting mate retention tactics. They typically insult their partners to lower their self esteen
men HIGHER in mate value typically use benefit-bestowing mate retention tactics.
those high on the dark triad typically use what type of mate retention tactics?
cost-inflicting and aggressive mate retention tactics
T/F wives who leave their abusive husbands are at lower risk for being killed
false. Women are more likely to be killed if they leave their abusive husband
if a man cannot provide any positive incentives for his wife to stay, he may result in ___ instead.
using violence.
effect of stepchildren in the home and violence
women are more likely to be absued by their partners if his step children (children from another man) are in the home
T/F mens perceptions of their partner’s interest in other men was a stronger predictor of male violence than women’s actual interest in others
TRUE. If men suspect infidelity, they will be more violent regardless of whether or not the woman is actually cheating.
Tsimane foragers of lowlan Bolivia show that:
both wife infidelity AND husband infidelity appear to precipitate violence toward wives.
two factors reduce a woman’s risk of violence:
1) selecting a mate who has reliable source of economic resources
2) having kin living in close proximity to her.
how is it that men typically dominate in the domain of resources?
men’s competitive strategies (wanting to be better than other men and to exclude resources intrasexually (from other men)) and women’s mate preferences (for resources) coevolved and the intertwining of these coevoloved mechanisms created the conditions in which men controlled resources
