Sexual selection

Question 1

What’s Darwin (1874)s sexual selection theory?

Answer 1

Mating is important to continue the bloodline
Its risky and endangers both genders
intrasexual - competing with members of the same sex
intersexual - preference for certain qualities in the opposite sex

Question 2

AO1 long and short term preferences?

Answer 2

Buss (2007)
Short term - men, pass on their genes
Long term - female due to quantity of pregnancies a woman can have etc.

Question 3

What 4 key things do women look for in a mate?

Answer 3

Buss (2003)
Resources
Physically strong
Promise of a good parent
Compatible to minimise cost

Question 4

AO2 for long term preferences

Answer 4

Buss (1989) looked at what males and females looked for in a marriage partner in 10,000 people from 37 cultures.

• women cared more about mates being good financially
• men placed more importance on physical appearance
• men wanted mates that were younger
• both sexes found intelligence, kindness and dependability important

Question 5

AO2 for short term strategies

Answer 5

Clarke and Hatfield (1989)
Field study on an American university campus. They had male and female experimenters approach strangers and say ‘I find you very attractive’ and then ask…
- would you go on a date with me? (m&f 50%)
- would you go back to my apartment with me? (f 6%, m 69%)
- would you have sex with me? (f 0% m 75%)

Question 6

Problem with Buss’s research?

Answer 6

Lacks validity - just because people state a preference doesn’t mean they’d stick to that in real life

Question 7

Gender bias in short term mating

Answer 7

Grilling and Buss (2000) said that sometimes women do benefit from short-term mating, e.g. leaving a bad relationship and having more diverse offspring

Question 8

Male preferences for younger women

Answer 8

Social psychologists suggest men prefer younger women because they can dominate them
Kendrick (1996) found teenage boys showed a significant preference for females that were 5 years older than them (who are unlikely to be controlled)

Question 9

Mate choice and the menstrual cycle

Answer 9

Peyton-Vaak (1999) suggests that female mate choice varies through their menstrual cycle.
They prefer a feminine male face for long-term relationships
They prefer a masculine male face during the peak of their fertility cycle (sexy sons hypothesis)

Question 10

The importance of fertility

Answer 10

Miller (2007) tracked the amount of tips earned by lap dancers at various stages in their cycle. At the most fertile stage they received double the income.