Sexual selection + partner preference Flashcards
How is our behaviour biologically determined when it comes to relationships ?
- sexual selection isn’t a choice
- sexual selection is part of our biology
- Every species has one aim - to reproduce
What is sexual selection ?
- some characteristics increase reproductive success
- traits provide an evolutionary advantage
- sign of genetic fitness
What are human characteristics that can lead to reproductive success ?
Female = Wide, child-bearing hips
Male = height and strength
What is intra-sexual selection ?
- Intra = within
- mate competition within the same sex
- This is often when the males compete for the female
- Whichever male wins, gets to pass on their genes
- e.g. male birds dancing to impress the female birds
- e.g. humans - showing off resources (e.g money, cars, physique)
What are 3 examples of human reproductive strategies ?
Sneak copulation = Less dominant males sneak to female before the dominant male has a chance
Male guarding = Female is ovulating and the dominant male protects female to prevent other males from reproducing with her
Courtship ritual = trying to seduce female through dancing singing, acts of service
Sexy sons hypothesis:
- female choosiness
- female picks male that could provide them with the characteristics which would allow there sons to have desirable characteristics
- means that her sons will be selected by future generations
What is the Peacock theory (Intra-sexual selection) ?
- in many species, males have characteristics that attract females
- E.g. Brighter colours, exaggerated tails
- Also known as sexual dimorphism
What is inter-sexual selection ?
- inter = between
- mate choices between sexes
- traits that increase attractiveness and therefore attract the opposite sex
- women look for men with: resources, strength and height
- men look for women with: features that could lead to fertility (wide hips, youth etc)
What are some limitations of evolution explanations of partner preferences ?
Doesn’t reflect modern norms
- female independence in employment
- Women are beginning to not rely on men
- This means that evolution explanations don’t have temporal validity as norms have changed over time
Alpha bias:
- exaggerates sexual preference differences
- assumes that only men sleep around
- In short-term mating - neither gender is particular and they act in similar ways
What are strengths of evolution explanations for partner preferences ?
Consistent with anisogamy
- Anisogamy = the differences between a male and females sex cells
- Sperm is available in large quantities - men are competing to spread their genes
- Ova is limited with eggs - only fertile for a short period so women need to make the correct choices
- Supports that their are biologically determined differences between the sexes
Research support: Clark and Hatfield
- Approached other students at a college and asked ‘would you go to bed with me’
- not a single female said yes
- 75% of males immediately said yes
- supports that females are more choosy than men
Research support: Buss
- survey of 10,000 adults from 33 countries
- asked about attributes that the evolutionary theory predicts are important in partner preferences
- he found at females placed value on resource related characteristics
- men valued physical attractiveness
- supports the predictions from the sexual selection theory
