Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour Flashcards
What is anisogamy
The differences between male and female sex cells
What is inter-sexual selection
When one gender makes mate choices based on a specific characteristic in the other gender - quality of quantity
What gender prefers inter-sexual selection and why
Females as they need to be choosy of a mates reproductive fitness
What is intra-sexual selection
Competition of the same sex for mates - quantity not quality
What gender prefers intra-sexual selection and why
Males as they have to compete as female as a limited resource and are choosy
How does inter-sexual selection impact on human reproductive behaviour and an example
The preferences of both sexes determine which attributes are passed on e.g. if height is a marker of fitness in mates then females are more likely going to choose taller mates. Over time this leads to taller and taller men being selected. Runaway process
How does Intra-sexual selection impact on human reproductive behaviour
Male aggression- males who act more aggressively are more likely to succeed in mating as they’re more likely to win competition with another male
Males prefer young and fertile women since such characteristics guarantee better reproductive success
Males desire to optimising mating chances by fertilising as many women as possible also ensures the passage of such preference genes to next gen
How is anisogamy thought to impact human reproductive behaviour
There are plenty of fertile males and lesser fertile females so this gives rise to different mating strategies
What study shows support for the relationship between Intra sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour
Buss(1989)
What did Buss (1989) do
He surveyed 10,000 adults in 33 countries asking about partner preferences
What did Buss (1989) discover
Female respondents placed greater value on resource related characteristics than males did e.g. financial prospects , ambition, whereas males valued reproductive capacity e.g. good lucks, youth
Therefore this supports sex differences due to anisogamy and partner preferences from sexual selection theory
What study supports the relationship between inter-sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour
Clark and Hatfield (1989)
What did Clark and Hatfield (1989) do
Sent students onto campus to approach other students with this question ‘ I have been noticing you around campus. I find you very attractive. Would you go to bed with me tonight?’
What did Clark and Hatfield (1989) discover
No females agreed but 75% of males did
This supports the suggestion that female choosiness is a reality and males have evolved a different strategy to ensure their reproductive success
