Evolution Explaining Gender Differences in Partner Preferences

Question 1

when did Buss come up with gender differences in mate selection?

Answer 1

1989

Question 2

Buss 1989: Method

Answer 2

Questionnaires
10,000 men & women
from 37 different cultural groups

Question 3

Buss 1989: Method - Questionnaire demographic information

Answer 3

age
gender
marital status

Question 4

Buss 1989: Method - preference for variables

Answer 4

marriage
age difference
characeristics

Question 5

Buss 1989 - Results - Women

Answer 5

women valued variables associated with gaining resources more highly than men

Question 6

Buss 1989 - Results - Men

Answer 6

men valued variables associated with reproductive capacity more highly then women

Question 7

Buss 1989 - Conclusion - Women

Answer 7

women have limited access to resources needed to provide for themselves and their offspring so they evolved to pick mates that could provide this

Question 8

Buss 1989 - Conclusion - Men

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Buss 1989 - Evaluation - positive

Answer 9

there were similar findings across a range of different cultures

Question 10

Buss 1989 - Evaluation - negative

Answer 10

it wasn’t a truly representative study as it was hard to include rural and less educated populations

Question 11

What did Buss and Schmitt (1993) go on to develop?

Answer 11

a more detailed evolutionary explanation for partner preference

Question 12

What is the name of the theory that Buss and Schmitt (1993) came up with

Answer 12

Sexual Strategies Theory

Question 13

What does the Sexual Strategies Theory argue?

Answer 13

it argues that men and women apply various different strategies for choosing partners, depending on the situation

Question 14

Why has the Sexual Strategies Theory evolved?

Answer 14

they have evolved to help them meet the different requirements they have for long-term and short-term partners

Question 15

Sexual Strategies Theory example: Women

Answer 15

Women try to assess the quality of a short term partners genes

Question 16

Sexual Strategies Theory example: Men

Answer 16

Men are mostly concerned with a short term partners availability and fertility

Question 17

Buss and Schmidt Sexual Strategies Theory: Strengths

Answer 17

the idea that men look for fertile women when looking for partners is supported by Singh’s waist to hip ratio experiment

Question 18

Buss and Schmidt Sexual Strategies Theory: Weaknesses

Answer 18

There were more similarities then differences between men and women’s responses in Buss (1989) study