Evolutionary Factors - Aggression

Question 1

What is natural selection?

Answer 1

A process whereby new species arise as a result of gradual changes in genetic make-up over a long period of time

Question 2

What is reproductive fitness?

Answer 2

A measure of how successful an individual is in passing genes onto the next generation

Question 3

What gender has more parental investment?

Answer 3

Females

Question 4

How to men attract females?

Answer 4

Use dominance and resources. Females choose males who will allow them to successfully raise children

Question 5

What does Lorenz suggest?

Answer 5

Aggression is innate an unavoidable

Question 6

Who can be confident of maternity?

Answer 6

Females can be confident of their maternity but males can’t be sure of their paternity

Question 7

Why must males hold onto partners?

Answer 7

To ensure they are able to pass down their genes - no rival access

Question 8

Why must females hold onto partners?

Answer 8

To ensure offspring survive

Question 9

What do men lose after female infidelity?

Answer 9

• Loss of reproductive success
• Loss of invested resources
• Paternity uncertainty

Question 10

What do women loose after male infidelity?

Answer 10

• Loss of partner

- Loss of resources for offspring

Question 11

What did Weerth and Kalma do?

Answer 11

Self-reports to see if male victims of infidelity are expected to be more aggressive than female victims

Question 12

What did Weerth and Kalma find?

Answer 12

• Ps expected females to be more aggressive (views held mainly by women)
• Females more likely to declare they would physically and verbally abuse partners
  = doesn’t really fit evolution and females should be aggressive to rivals and men should take up retention strategies

Question 13

What are the issues that link to Weerth and Kalma’s study?

Answer 13

PAS: hypothetical ideas and surveys are not scientific as people may react differently in a real life situation
Social desirability: People say they wouldn’t be aggressive to partners (men)

Question 14

How are women aggressive surrounding infidelity? (Jealousy)

Answer 14

If they suspect their partner is with someone else they may direct anger and aggression towards the rival

Question 15

What are mate-retention strategies? (Jealousy)

Answer 15

Men use these to ensure paternity certainty. They are often violent e.g. domestic violence and genital mutilation

Question 16

What is the SSNR issue surrounding Jealousy?

Answer 16

The fact that wife infidelity is an offence in some countries = can be an excuse for male violence

Question 17

What did Paul et al do?

Answer 17

Carried out two studies: One were questionnaires used to see how ps would react after infidelity and one was were ps were asked to think about when a partner had been sexually unfaithful

Question 18

What did Paul et al find?

Answer 18

1st study: anger and blame were focused more on the partner
2nd study: rival received more anger and blame
+ men more inclined to think about aggression towards the rival

Question 19

How does Paul et al support evolution?

Answer 19

Supports as women were aggressive to rival but doesn’t as men said they were more likely to be

Question 20

How does PAS relate to Paul et al’s study?

Answer 20

Both self-reports = social desirability