evolution and human reproductive behaviour Flashcards
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Evolution is how characteristics change from gen to gen due to natural selection. Mutations (changes in the DNA base sequence of an organism) can lead to genetic variation and evolution. If an organism doesn’t reproduce then that is the end of their genes. Any characteristic that increases the ability of an organism to reproduce to pass on their alleles is naturally selected for. Anisogamy is how a male can produce thousands of sperm at little psychological cost so their best strategy is to mate with as many females as possible as this will produce the maximum amount of offspring carry on their genetic line.
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In mammals, female investment in offspring is greater than males due to the females efforts during pregnancy. Buss suggested that a man in evolutionary history could walk away from casual coupling whilst only losing a couple of hours or minutes where as woman risked getting pregnant so would think about the cost of that decision. So women are more discriminating when choosing a sexual partner. Therefore, aggression in males has been naturally selected for, so males can compete for females. Both men and women seek a partner who will produce healthy offspring that can be cared for, which is why males prefer younger more fertile women and why women prefer men with resources.
strengths
supporting evidence from clark and hatfield who made attractive male and female students approach students of the opposite sex to say, “hi, i’ve been noticing you around town lately, I find you very attractive, would you have sex with me?”. they found that none of the females said yes but 75% of the males accepted the offer. Therefore, showing how females are more selective in their choice of a sexual partner as it may lead to pregnancy.
supporting evidence from buss who did a cross-cultural study and found that females valued good financial prospects in males and men valued physical attraction. he also found that women preferred older men and males preferred older women. therefore, showing how the evolutionary theory has predicted patterns in reproductive behaviour across many different cultures as woman want men with resources.
weaknesses
there are alternative theories such as the exposure effect which suggests that we like people that we have more frequent exposure to. women were made to rate the taste of drinks whilst coming into contact with a female once, twice or more times. they found that the ppts preferred the females they had more exposure to. therefore, meaning the more you come into contact with someone can lead to positive feelings about them, which could be a factor when picking a partner.
an alternative theory could be SLT, which suggests that
application
the evolutionary theory is deterministic as an innate theory as it suggests humans do not have the role of free will and that we do not have a choice in our own decisions. it suggests males aggression is innate so they have no control over it. therefore, it is unlikely to be the sole cause of human reproductive behaviour as it may be seen as a scapegoat for the behaviour and an excuse for toxic masculinity.
