Evolution Explaining Gender Differences in Partner Preferences Flashcards
when did Buss come up with gender differences in mate selection?
1989
Buss 1989: Method
Questionnaires
10,000 men & women
from 37 different cultural groups
Buss 1989: Method - Questionnaire demographic information
age
gender
marital status
Buss 1989: Method - preference for variables
marriage
age difference
characeristics
Buss 1989 - Results - Women
women valued variables associated with gaining resources more highly than men
Buss 1989 - Results - Men
men valued variables associated with reproductive capacity more highly then women
Buss 1989 - Conclusion - Women
women have limited access to resources needed to provide for themselves and their offspring so they evolved to pick mates that could provide this
Buss 1989 - Conclusion - Men
the factor limiting men’s reproductive success has been access to fertile women, so they have evolved to be attractive to women so they can reproduce
Buss 1989 - Evaluation - positive
there were similar findings across a range of different cultures
Buss 1989 - Evaluation - negative
it wasn’t a truly representative study as it was hard to include rural and less educated populations
What did Buss and Schmitt (1993) go on to develop?
a more detailed evolutionary explanation for partner preference
What is the name of the theory that Buss and Schmitt (1993) came up with
Sexual Strategies Theory
What does the Sexual Strategies Theory argue?
it argues that men and women apply various different strategies for choosing partners, depending on the situation
Why has the Sexual Strategies Theory evolved?
they have evolved to help them meet the different requirements they have for long-term and short-term partners
Sexual Strategies Theory example: Women
Women try to assess the quality of a short term partners genes
