Relationships Flashcards
Sexual selection
Evolutionary explanation saying desirable attributes are passed on over generations
Human reproductive behaviour
Any behaviour which relates to opportunities to reproduce. Includes evolutionary mechanisms like mate choice.
Anisogamy
Refers to difference between male and female sex cells
Men have vast numbers. Women have set number of eggs.
Consequences of anisogamy
Mate selection is no shortage of males but fertile women are rare.
Inter-Sexual Selection
Females chose quality over quantity due to fertility only lasting so long
Trivers females make bigger commitment.
Fisher sexy-sons hyp
Fishers sexy-sons
Females mate with desirable men so their children are “sexy”. So the child will also be desirable.
Intra-sexual Selection
Male strategy quantity over quality
Competing with other men to sleep with the most. (Way to dimorphism)
Makes males more aggressive and prefer younger women.
Ao3 of sexual selection & Human Reproductive behaviour
•Research supp. Buss survey 10,000 in 33 countries find women prefer money men prefer looks.
•Research supp. Clark & Hatfield asked uni students for sex. Men said yea women said no. Support make strat
•evolutionary theory. Singh find males like hip and waist size attractive at 0.7 ratio
•Lim: Ignores social influence & culture diff. Bereczki social change has consequences for women not be resource orientated anymore.
Self-Disclosure
Sharing what matters and what is important to us to help partner understand us.
Social penetration Theory
3 factors
Altman & Taylor
1. Self-disclosure is limited partners penetrate each other as they disclose more
2. Breadth is narrow. Low risk disclosure as too much can be off putting
3. Depth increases. As layers are revealed
Reciprocity of self-Disclosure
Belief that there should be a balance of self -disclosure between partners.
Ao3 of social penetration
• Supp research. Laurenceau et al. Higher self-disclosure = higher level of intimacy. Repeatability.
•Real life app. Hass & Stafford. 57% of homosexuals said self-disclosure deepened relationships. Temporal modern ptps and generalisable.
•Lack cultural val. Tang et al. USA people self-disclose more than those in china.
•Correlation. Self-Disclosure linked to more satisfaction. Not causation
Physical attractiveness - Key Studies
Symmetrical faces
Halo effect
Matching hypothesis
Symmetrical faces study
Shackelford & Larsen
Symmetrical faces more attractive due to sign of genetic fitness.
Also more attracted to neotenous face (baby) e.g small noses or soft chin
The Halo Effect
Dion
Attractive people perceived as more kind, strong and social.
McNulty. Initial attractiveness continues to be important.
The Matching Hypothesis
Walster et al
People chose partners of similar attractiveness. To avoid rejection and maximise physical attractiveness we find balance in people of similar attractiveness
Ao3 of Phsyical attractiveness
•research supp halo effect. Palmer & Peterson. Attractive people rated more politically knowledgeable & competent.
•Lim: Ind Diff. Towhey. Gave ptps pics of stranger and biography info ptps rated. Attractiveness more important for ptps with sexist attitudes. Heteronormative
• Research supp for matching hyp. Feingold. Meta-analysis of 17 studies correlation of attractiveness in partners.
•cultural val. Cunningham. All cultures rated females with, small noses etc as attractive.
Filter Theory
Kerckhoff & Davis. Field of available partners with 3 main factors.
Filter 1 of Filter Theory
Social Demography.
Proximity is accessibility. Outcome of homogamy. Meaning more likely to form relations with people who share ethnicity, religious belief and education level.
Filter 2 of Filter Theory
Similar in attitudes. Byrne.
Similar values = More attractive. Found similar attitudes more important in early stages in early stages of relation
Filter 3 of Filter theory
Complementarity.
Partners being different and helping fulfil each other. E.g one being socially proactive and other being introverted.
Ao3 of Filter Theory
•Research supp. Peter Winch. Similarity typical at early stages. Happily married complementarity more important.
•Lim: Failed replication. Levinger social change depth due to length. Issue with applying to homosexual or collectivist.
•Causality is wrong. Anderson. Longitudinal study. Partners more similar over time. (Emotional Convergence)
•Lack temp val. online dating makes filter 1 waffle. No need for similar social class etc)