Evoloutionary Explanatiobs For Partner Preferrences Flashcards
A01 points
Sexual selection
Anisogamy
Intersexual selection
Intrasexual selection
Sexual selection
Darwins concept
-certain behaviours that increase reproductive success r passed on + may become exaggerated over succeeding generations of offspring
Example of sexual selection
Agg is adaptive as provides an advantage over competitors for reproductive rights
Anisogamy
Basis of human reproductive behaviour
Refers to differences between male + female sex cells (gametes)
Male gametes r small, active and created continuously in vast numbered from puberty to old age - they don’t need much energy to be reproduced.
Female gametes - large, static and produced at intervals for limited no of fertile years/require sig energy
One consequence of Anisogamy
There is no shortage of fertile males but a fertile female is a rarer resource
Intersexual selection
Between the sexes, quality over quantity
Refers to strategies that males use to select females or females use to select males
Trivers - females make a greater investment of time, commitment etc before and during/after birth so females have more to lose
Consequences for choosing wrong partner is more serious for female so needs to be selective
Runaway process
Attractive trait of male would increase in male pop as females like that because in each gen, females will select that trait so gradually exaggerated
Over time = increase in that trait
Sexy son hyp : fisher
Female who mated with male who has certain characteristics (tall) will also have sons who inherit this sexy trait + sons r more likely t be selected by females who will then mate with her offspring
Intrasexual selection
Within each sex
Strategies between males is to be one that is selected quantity over quality (plentiful sperm)
Comp between males to be selected by female
Winner = reproduce so traits contributed to victory will pass on to his offspring
Loser will not pass anything on
Females do not compete for reproductive rights so no evolutionary drive
Female youthfulness is selected as males have a preference to mate with younger women as look more fertile
Potential downfall of competitive males
Agg traits passed down as consistently competitive so offspring will have innate agg personality
Strength - uni students
Clark + Hatfield
Sent male + female psych students across campus
Approached other students + asked “would u go to bed with me tonight”
No girl said yes but 75% of males said yes
Shows females r selective with who they wanted to be intimate with but males were ready to use sperm with no preferences (endless sperm) - Anisogamy
Supports view that females r choosier
Strength - Buss
Survey of 10000 adults in 33 counties
Asked partner preferences questions
Females placed greater value on resource related traits than males (financial/ambition)
Males valued physical attractiveness/young
Supports view that there r sex differences so support for intra
Limitation - cultural
Over look influence of culture on partner preferences
Bereczkei argues that women’s greater role in workplace mean no longer dependant on man to provide for them
Therefore mate preferences r no longer recourse oriented
Partner preferences r likely to be outcome of combination of ev + cul influences - theory fails to account this
Limitation - diversity
Cannot explain partner preferences of gay/lesbian women
Lawson et al looked at ads describing preferences from homo and hetero sexual view and found differences
Shows that preferences r different for homosexual individuals + needs, explanation doesn’t account
