Relationships Flashcards
What is sexual selection
That evolution is driven by competition for mates and it leads to development of characterises that ensure reproductive success
What is meant by evolutionary explanations
They state that behaviour is adaptive and that behaviour has evolved since our ancestors and it’s being more widespread in the gene pool
What is anisogamy
It’s the difference between male and female gamates and it leads to inter and intrasexual selection
What is intra sexual selection
This is that individuals of one sex must outcompete members of their own sea in order to gain access to the other sex those that are successful at able to mat which means they pass on their genes
What is intersexual selection
This is that members of one sex have preferences for desirable qualities in potential mates
Ie resources financial security
Give 4 evaluation points for sexual selection and evolutionary explanations
Buss 1989
Clark and Hatfield
Penton voak
Nettle and Craig
Describe the procedure and state the findings of buss study and how it supports theory of sexual selection
They asked 10,000 people from 37 cultures were asked 18 characteristics and how important they are in choosing a mate
They found women desired a man with good resources like financial prospects
Men preferred women who were younger and where physical attractive as it provides cues to her health and fertility
Strength as it supports the concept of inter sexual selection and that we develop preferences for our ideal choice of mate plus it’s universal as it tested s range of cultures so it’s also valid
State the findings of Clark and Hatfield experiment and how it supports sexual selection
They approached both males and females and asked if they would have go on a date, go back to their apartment,have sex with them
Men 50%,69% apartment,75%sex
Females 50%,6% apartment 0% sex
Strength as it supports the fact that females are choosy in selecting a mate which is in accordance to sexual selection,this is due to anisogmy and the fact they have limited supply of eggs so they must be selective
What has research by proton voak et al shown about female mate choice
They found that the menstrual cycle plays a key role in female mate choice
During their fertile period of the cycle they prefer a masculine face
But during other stages they prefer a slightly feminised male face as they want a long term relationship
Shows that female mate choice is down to biological factors which maybe universal
What did nettle and Clegg find in their study and how does it support sexual selection
They compared a sample of British poets and artists and a control group of males in non creative professions
They found males tended to have more sexual partners if they were in creative professions and their amount of creative output and was positively correlated with the number of sexual partners
Strength as It shows some traits that don’t have survival purpose evolve due to sexual selection and they can serve as a reproduce advantage and they encourage females to be attract e to them in the hope their offspring inherit the adaptive value of creativity being passed onto them(highlights reproductive success)
What is the matching hypothesis
It states when we look for partner for a romantic relationship we look for someone’s who’s social desirability equals our own approximately
What did buss state about the importance of physical attractiveness
He said men place a great importance of physical attractiveness as it provides a cue to a women’s health and fertility
In the matching hypothesis how do we try and find a match for us
We assess ourselves first in the eyes of the potential partner and then we select the best candidates who will be attracted to us
State the link between the matching hypothesis and physical attractiveness
This is that we will match with people whose physical attractiveness is similar to us
Give evaluation points for the matching hypothesis
Walster et al
Taylor et al - online interaction
Metlzer et al-sex differences in physical attractiveness
Describe the procedure in walster et al and explain the results and how they go against the matching hypothesis
Procedure 177 males and 170 females were selected randomly and where rated for physical attractiveness
They were told to complete a questionnaire to asses qualities and they used this to allocate an ideal partner for the dance
During the intermission they were told to complete a questionnaire about their dates
They found that the findings didn’t support the matching hypothesis and that they only liked their dates on their physical attractiveness alone regardless of how themselves looked
Explain the findings of meltzer et al and how it supports matching hypothesis and physical attractiveness
They found in objective ratings of Wives attractiveness were related positively to levels of husbands satisfaction at the start of marriage
But in females it wasn’t the same
It’s a strength as it supports the view that males place greater value on physical attractiveness when choosing a mate as it provides a cue to their fertility and reproductive value
State the findings from Taylor et al and how it goes against the matching hypothesis
They found no evidence that the descion of daters were based on them having similarity between their physical attractiveness and potential partners in online dating patterns
They found evidence that people prefer attractive partners which suggests we don’t take our own PA into account
Contradicts the theory of matching hypothesis
What is meant by self disclosure
When an individual reveals intimate personal details about themselfves to someone else
What has research shown about self disclosure shown is the most important factor
That it’s reciprocity meaning that the amount of sd given should be the amount received
State what research has are the most important types of SD
Research has shown disclosure or personal achievers,past relationships are more effective in stabilising a relationship and not neutral forms of SD
What are the norms of self disclosure
That in the early stages moderate self disclosure should be disclosed
Because too much can make it seem your indiscriminate to who you share personal info with
To little mean the partner won’t get to know you
Give 4 evaluation point for self disclosure
Sprecher et al
Cultural differences
Knop et al
Collins and miller
Describe the procedure in sprecher et al and state the findings and how it supports SD
They placed participants into two dyads reciprocal and non reciprocal
They exchanged sd over Skype in the reciprocal condition participants took turns in asking questions and disclosing
In the non reciprocal condition one person asked question the other would disclosed
They found in the reciprocal conditions individuals reported more liking,closeness,perceived similarity and enjoyment of interaction than those in the non reciprocal group
Describe the findings of Collins and miller and how it supports sd
They found people who engage in intimate disclosure tend to be liked more than who disclose at Lower levels and people like others as s result of disclosing to them
They also found s relationship between disclosure and liking and that it was stronger if the recipient believed the disclosure was only shared with them
State the findings of knop et al and how it relates to SD (use for reduced cues as support
They found that members of social groups disclose personal info more often in face to face than in online interaction and they disclose more intimate info as well
The reason for this ie the lack of intimacy of the internet due to the absence of non verbal cues ie eye contact
Shows sd is better in real life and not online
State what cultural differences have shown by SD
(AO3
That in western societies they engage in more intimate self disclosure compared to non Westerns
Cultural norms are also important nakanshi found Japanese women prefer lower levels of SD in comparison to Japanese men in western cultures ie the opposite
What is the filter theory and state the 3 components
This theory states we choose romantic relationships by using a series of filters that narrow down the field of available s which we make a choice
Social demography
Similarity in attitudes
Complementary needs
What is meant by social demography
It refers to variables like age,social background,ethinicity and location that determine the likelihood of people meeting in the first place
What is meant by similarity of attitudes in the filter theory
It’s that the relationship is more likely to progress if people share similar beliefs and attitudes
What is complementary of needs
This refers to how well two people meet one another’s needs and fit as a couple
Give 4 evaluation points for the filter theory
Kerchoff and Davis-strength
Levinger et al-limitation
Dikstra and Barelds
The theory is outdated
Describe the procedure and state the results of kerckhoff and Davis findings
They gave 94 couples 2 questionnaires to complete one which assessed the degree to which they share attitudes and values and the degree of need of complementarity
They found that couples whose relationships were less than 18 months valued similarity of attitudes and values as being the most significant predictor in how they felt
For long term couples only complementary of needs was predictive of how closely they felt to one another
What where levinger et al findings and how is it a weakness of the filter theory
330 couples in their study did the same procedure as in kerchoff and Davis they found no evidence that similarity of attitudes and values or complementary of needs had influenced progression in relationships
They also found that no significant relationship between the length of people’s relationship and influence of different variables
Highlights k and d experiment and results aren’t replicable and that the filter theory’s lacks sufficient evidence for influence of these variables in a relationship
What dijkstra and bareilds find in their study and how is it a strength of the filter theory
They studied 760 college educated singles on a dating site
There personalities were measured and they were asked to rate the personality characteristics of their desired ideal mate
They found strong correlation between individual own personality and their ideal patterns personality
Strengths highlights we prefer people that have similar attitudes to ourselves
State how the theory is outdated and how is it a limitation of the filter theory
Components of the theory like social demography don’t play a part in if we start s relationship, online
Relationships and transport mean we can find partners that aren’t necessarily in our demography
Highlights the theory is backward
What is the social exchange theory
Its that the likelihood of an individual staying in a relationship is down to an assessment of what they get out (benefits) in comparison to what they put in (costs)
State the 3 parts of the social exchange theory
Profit and loss
Comparison level
Comparison level of alternatives
What is meant by profit and loss in the social exchange theory
It’s that people attempt to maximise their rewards and minimise their cost
Ie benefit is sex
Cost- housework
It stresses that commitment to a relationship is dependant on the profitability of this outcome