Curtis et al

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

to test the hypothesis that disgust is an adaptation that serves to prevent disease

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

A sample of 40,000 respondents, male and female of various ages from 165 different countries took part and completed an onlin esurvey. Respondents were asked to rate 20 photographs for disgust on a scale of 1-5 as well as who they were least likely to share a toothbrush with from certain options. Randomly placed among the 20 photograohs were 7 images depicting a disease salient stimulus and iher images without disease relevance.

Question 3

Results

Answer 3

All of the disease salient stimuli were rated as more disgusting than less salient ones. The results were consistent across cultures. Females rated the disease salient pictures as more disgusting than men. There was an age based decline in the sensitivity to disease salient stiumi. Average responses to the toothbrush were in the following order: postman, the boss, the weatherman, a sibling, a best friend, the spouse or partner. More disgust towards strangers that relatives.

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

Curtis. et al suggested these results were evidence of evolutionary mechanisms for detecting disease thus they play a role in survival. The reaserchers concluded that disgust helped protcet people against potential illnesses

Question 5

strengths

Answer 5

this was a large-scale cross-cultural survey with many participants, increasing the generalisabity of the findings and unlikely responses were excluded. The data gathered was quantative in nature, thus more objective as well as easier and quicker to analyse.

Question 6

limitations

Answer 6

the evidence is correlational thus it is difficult to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between disgust as an evolutionary adaptation serving to guard against disease. The age reange i misleaduing . There may be sampling bias decreasing the validity of the results