Chapter 3 - Evolutionary Psychology Flashcards
What book was written by Charles Darwin in 1859
The Origin Of The Species
What was Darwin’s main theory on evolution
Survival of the fittest
Favourable traits tended to be preserved
Unfavourable ones tended to die out
What do evolutionary psychologists argue
Much of human behaviour is a result of psychological adaptations
Evolved to solve ancestral and reproductive problems
Describe the Parental investment theory
In most species their is an imbalance on the amount of time each parent invests in offspring
The sex that invests the most resources in raising offspring is more selective when choosing a mate
The second that’s invests less in offspring compete for access to higher- investing sex
Greater parental investment leads to a greater chance of offspring survival
Human parental investment
Male and female traditional roles
Females- usually much greater parental investment
Males can impregnate a number of females simultaneously, so there is limited PI
Distinct sex-specific costs involved in mating
What is the problem with men and being certain if a child is there’s
Men can never be certain of the genetic partenrity of the child, there is a paternity uncertainty
Investing resources in another mans offspring (cuckolded) does not lead to furthering of their own genes
Describe females and the relationship with having maternity certainty
Females have maternity certainty, so they prefer a mate who can offer resources to support there level of PI
They usually have greater jealousy over a mate commuting emotional infedeilty
Describe females in a sexual evolutionary sense
Females are a selective sex
They can only be impregnated by one male at a time
Must invest a lot of time due to pregnancy and childbirth
So they are selective of their mate
Describe males in a sexual evolutionary sense
Males are a lecture when they invest in youth
Females traits have evolved to address this
What is a male mate preference and why ??
Youth
Much greater emphasis on attractiveness
Youthful features- big eyes, small nose, full lips
This is a signal of fertility caused by oestrogen
Indicate higher chance of successful reproduction
What is the ideal WHR what a man looks for in a women - Singh 1993
0.7
It is a marker of age, reproductive status and health
The 0.7 is rated most attractive
What is the relationship between male mate preferences and skin tone
Skin tone can be a sign of youthfulness and fertility
It is an honest indicator of sex hormones and may indicate levels of fertility
Why do females have a preference for masculinity
If they are more masculine and have an indicator of fitness, they may have better genes
Attracted to more masculine traits such as strong jawline, muscular body, higher levels of testosterone
Higher testosterone could lead to better quality of sperm
What is the female mate preference in context with waist hip ratio
More attracted men with broad shoulders and narrow waists
With links to males perceived dominance
Female preferences to age and height
If a male is taller, they are perceived as more intelligent and competent aswell as authoritive
Females tend to select mates 4 years older
Buss 1989
This may be because older males are more finically secure, and can provide more resources to female and future offspring
