RS- Evolutionary Explanations Flashcards
What is sexual selection?
An evolutionary explanation for partner preference, suggesting that attributes beneficial to survival and which increase reproductive success (so are adaptive) are passed on through genes. Therefore, human reproductive behaviour, including mate choice preferences, are affected by evolution.
What is anisogamy?
The difference between male and female sex cells
What is the “Sexy sons hypothesis”?
“Sexy Sons hypothesis” is where females sexually select male partners with desirable traits because they would like their sons to inherit “sexy traits” such as height.
How do women sexually select a partner?
- inter-specific selection
- Females are choosy when selecting a sexual partner because eggs are rare, (women produce one egg a month in their menstrual cycle) which requires a great deal of energy, investment and time (anisogamy).
- Women invest 9 months of their life being pregnant per child, and need time and energy before, during and after birth.
- Females are choosy and wish to select a mate who is genetically fit, strong and healthy.
What is mate guarding?
When males might guard their female partner to prevent them mating with anyone else (check to see that she is not unfaithful)
What is cuckoldry?
When the female partner gets pregnant by another male and has to raise another man’s child
How do males sexually select a partner?
- intra-specific selection
- Males compete with each other to mate with females and the most successful male can reproduce with the female and pass on his genes.
- Males sexually select many females to reproduce with.
- This means males get the chance to have a lot of sexual selection and they also have a higher chance of reproducing lots of offspring.
Evaluate the evolutionary explanations of sexual selection. (ADVANTAGES)
1) Buss (1989) questioned 10,000 adults in 33 countries about mate choice preference- what they would look for in an ‘ideal’ partner.
- He found that females preferred resource-based characteristics (such as a good career), whereas males preferred physical attractiveness and youth.
- This was true across all the countries surveyed.
- This supports the difference in mate choice preferences related to anisogamy.
2) Clark and Hatfield (1989) found that when male and female university students were propositioned by an opposite-sex stranger on campus, 75% of males agreed to the request to spend the night together, whereas no females did.
- This supports the evolutionary theory that females are much choosier than males when it comes to selecting a mate.
Evaluate the evolutionary explanations of sexual selection. (DISADVANTAGES)
1) Evolutionary explanations can be criticised because it assumes that everyone who selects a partner is heterosexual and can reproduce.
- Schwarz would argue that we must consider homosexual couples who cannot naturally reproduce; they do not sexually select a partner based on the fact that reproduction will occur.
- It seems that homosexual people have been excluded from this explanation.
- The same can also be said for people who are infertile or who cannot naturally reproduce.
- These people would have a relationship and select a sexual partner for other reasons rather than reproduction.
2) Evolutionary explanations can be criticised and can cause problems in relationships.
- If males need to be “big” in order to acquire and protect fertile females, then this could be an excuse for males to abuse their power in a relationship and justify being possessive and aggressive towards females.
- This could lead to signs of domestic violence whereby males feel justified in controlling women in order to “protect” them.
- This could lead to problematic and destructive relationships (-)
