relationships Flashcards
what is intersexual selection
“mate choice”- when members of one sex (typically females) choose mates of the opposite sex to reproduce with based on specific traits. in most animals, including humans, it generally is females who choose because females often invest more in offspring than males do.
what is intersexual selection
“mate competition”. when members of the same sex (typically males) compete with each other to access and attract members of the opposite sex. This could be displays of physical power, social dominance or resources.
outline what is meant by male-female dimorphism
enhanced secondary sexual characteristics are selected by both genders, making these physical characteristics more common in the population.
what is a support for the evolutionary explanations for partner preferences
Dunbar and Waynforth used content analysis on 900 dating ads. They found that 42% of males were looking for “youthful” mates compared to 25% of females. In their adverts, men were likelier to emphasises their economic status; women were likelier to emphasise their looks. This supports the evolutionary theory of females being more attracted to status and resources, with men advertising these and males looking for females capable of reproduction.
what is another research support for the evolutionary explanations of partner preferences? (Clarke and Heartfield)
male and female student researchers asked other students one of three questions;
1) will you go out with me tonight
2)will you go back to my house
3)will you have sex with me
found that 50% of both genders agreed to a date, 0% of females agreed to sex, compared to 75% of males. This supports the concepts of intra and inter-sexual selection, that males will attempt to sleep with as many women as possible, while women will be more selective.
what is a criticism of evolutionary explanations for partner preferences
they may be criticised for not explaining homosexual partner preferences.
outline what self-disclosure is
people who share information are liked more; this is because when an individual discloses personal information to someone else, this disclosure suggests they trust that person.
outline the social penetration theory
Altman and Taylor suggest that as the relationship between individuals develops, interpersonal communication’s breadth (the types of topics) and depth (level of detail) increase from shallow to more intimate.
outline what is meant by reciprocity
relationships will only develop if both individuals are active in disclosing information and responding appropriately.
outline what is meant by attributions
individuals consider the motivations behind self-disclosure; someone who discloses to everyone is seen as less attractive than someone who reveals information to fewer people.
outline what I meant by appropriateness
while revealing information is generally seen as improving relationships, breaking social norms or revealing information too early 9TMI) can have the opposite reaction, lowering attraction.
what is a. support for the factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships
Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) observed couple’s self-disclosure on dates. Men and women were found to have similar levels of self-disclosure, and a positive correlation was found between the amount of self-disclosure and measures of the quality of the relationship.
what is a limitation of factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships
much of the research on self-disclosure is correlational. So there may not be a causal link; rather than self-disclosure causing attraction, we may self-disclose more to people we are attracted to. O r there is a third factor; if we share interests with people, this may lead to both increased disclosure and increased attraction.
outline physical attractiveness as a factor affecting attractiveness
we are more attracted to physically good-looking people. Evolutionary theory suggests this because what we perceive as attractiveness are visible indications of genetic and physical health.
what is the halo effect
people with the physical characteristic of physical attractiveness are assumed to be successful in other areas of life; i.e, intelligent, hardworking and sociable. This can result in others interacting more positively towards them, acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy, actually making them more successful.
what is the matching hypothesis
we cannot all mate with the most attractive members of our population.
-we realistically appraise our attractiveness compared to others.
-we look for romantic partners who are at a similar level of attractiveness
-we avoid the pain of rejection by not chasing partners we see as too attractive
-we retain our partners by not choosing someone who will leave us for someone else.
what is a limitation of the matching hypothesis
it may give some explanation for initial partner selection. however, theories of relationship exchange that include potential costs and benefits may better explain mate selection over the long term.
outline the filter theory
Kirchoff & Davies (1962) argue wile the “field of availables” is very large, we only actually become attracted to those people who pass through a series of filters, these people form the “field of desirables”
what is the 1st filter of the filter theory
social demography:
-we are more likely to come in contact with people who live nearby and people who share characteristics like social class, level of education and economic status.
what is the 2nd filter
similarity in attitudes. due to social demography, we are more likely to come into contact with people with similar core values; these people are seen as more attractive/compatible. these shared attitudes also help to encourage self-disclosure at the start of relationships.
what is the 3rd filter
complementarity. we are attracted to those who provide for our emotional needs. In this way, partners can have mutually beneficial differences. For example, one partner may like to organise the couple’s social activities while the other is happy to attend planned events. If both wanted to manage the schedule, this might lead to conflict. This is seen as important for the success of long-term relationships.
what is a limitation of filter theory
it lacks temporal validity. changing attitudes, globalisation and migration have resulted in more frequent relationship formations across ethnicities and cultures; also, virtual relationships enabled by dating apps lack traditional filters like demography.
what is the social exchange theory
Thibault and Kelly (1959), an economic theory with partners seeing relationships as similar to a business performing a cost-benefit analysis, maximising rewards and minimising losses. This is the min-max principle. Rewards include self-esteem, entertainment, financial security, friendship and sex. Costs include giving up time, emotional instability, stress, loss of money.
what is the comparison level
comparing our relationship to previous relationships/ other people’s relationships/ relationships in the media to get an idea of how rewarding relationships should be. Linked to feelings of self-worth.
