inter-sexual selection Flashcards
what do women prioritise in a partner and why
women look for partners with socioeconomic status and indicators that a man has/could get the resources necessary for her survival and her offspring
- the more resources he has the more he can invest into her child and ensure her genes are passed on
what do men look for in a partner
men prioritise physical appearance, looking for young attractive women as they indicate her reproductive value
- the more a woman is able to reproduce the more likely she is to enable the man to pass on his genes
what is intersexual selection
selection between the sexes, the strategies that men and women use to select their partners
why do women prioritise quality over quantity
females make a greater investment in time commitment and other resources in pregnancy and after childbirth
- the consequences for a woman choosing the wrong partner are greater than that for a man
A strength of the inter-sexual selection explanation of human reproductive behaviour/partner
preferences is that there is evidence to support this theory from Buss (1989).
In an extensive study of 37 cultures (in 33 countries), Buss analysed the results of more than
10,000 questionnaires asking respondents to rate factors such as age, intelligence and
sociability for their importance in a sexual partner (in other words, questions related to a
variety of attributes which evolutionary theory predicts will be important in relation to
partner preference). Buss found that men valued attractiveness more than women did. Buss
also found that women were more likely to value good earning potential and high
occupational status - a signal of resources that could be invested in offspring. Men were also
more likely to value youth and chastity than women were.
E: This is a strength because the evidence provided by Buss supports the theory of inter-sexual
selection and that males have a preference for a young and attractive mate, whereas
females look for somebody to provide for them.
A limitation of inter sexual selection is that social desirability may have affected female
responses in Buss’ study.
Females may be less likely to want to report finding physical attributes attractive in a potential
male partner as it may be deemed as shallow, or they feel they will be judged if they choose
something linked to sexual attractiveness.
E: This is a limitation of the study as the findings, at least for female respondents, may not be
totally valid reflections of their preferences.
L: This study therefore may only provide limited evidence to support inter-sexual selection
A strength of inter-sexual selection is further supporting evidence from Clark and Hatfield
(1989).
Clark and Hatfield sent attractive male and female Psychology students across the campus
of a university. They approached other students with the question “I have been noticing you
around campus. I find you to be very attractive. Would you go to bed with me tonight?”. 75%
of the males approached agreed to the request, whereas 0% of females agreed.
E: This is a strength because it supports female choosiness when selecting a mate as per the
inter-sexual selection explanation. Whereas, males opt for a different strategy to ensure
reproductive success.
L: Therefore, this adds further support to the inter-sexual selection theory
A strength of the inter-sexual selection explanation of human reproductive behaviour/partner
preferences is that it has high face validity.
The existence of ‘trophy wives’, ‘gold diggers’, and ‘sugar daddies’ and that females often alter their appearance through the use of make-up, cosmetic surgery etc. and lie about their age to appear younger and more fertile gives real-world support of the validity of inter-sexual selection. In addition, males use deceit to exaggerate their resources to persuade females to mate with them. This indicates that males and females use different strategies to maximise reproductive potential.
E: These behaviours provide real world evidence in support of the validity of gender differences
in mate choice because they are predicted by evolutionary explanations.
L: This therefore provides evidence for evolutionary explanations and suggests that they have high explanatory power.
human reproductive behaviour
refers to any behaviours which relate to opportunities to reproduce and thereby increase the survival of our genes. It includes the evolutionary mechanisms underlying our partner preferences and parental investment (both pre- and postbirth).
sexual selection
An evolutionary explanation of partner preference. Attributes or behaviours
that increase reproductive success are passed on to the next generation and may become
exaggerated over succeeding generations of offspring.
anisogamy
the difference between male and female sex
cells (gametes).
whats the difference between male and female gametes
males: small, highly mobile, created in vast numbers from puberty to old age, and dont require much energy to be produced
females: large, limited in number and require a significant amount of energy to be produced
what does anisogamy lead to
differences in parental investment
- a female is born with all the eggs shell ever have whereas a male ejaculation contains anywhere from 40-600 million sperm
- so males benefit from mating freely as reproductive success increases with each female
- females prioritise quality over quantity
