Sexual Selection Flashcards
Short term mating preferences
The parental investment theory claims that men evolved a greater desire for casual sex and would ideally seek de earlier in a relationship. Buss said Men appear to lower their standards in the context of short term Mating opportunities and show a marked decrease in attraction following sex.
Long term mate preference
Sexual selection leads to high levels of choosiness in both sexes in the long term. Poor mate choice is disadvantageous for both sexes who will have wasted valuable resources, it is particularly disastrous for women.
Women have a biological investment in their children and so are particular in their choice of mate. So women are attracted to men who are;
able to invest resources in her and offspring.
Able to protect her and any offspring
Show promise as a good parent
Will invest in her and offspring
Men are attracted to women who display signals of fertility which is an indication of their reproductive value.
Intrasexual and inter sexual selection
Intrasexual selection: members of one sex usually males compete with other members of their own sex for access to members of the opposite sex. Whatever traits leads to success in this competition will be passed on to the next generation.
Intersexual selection: members of one sex usually females, show preferences for members of the opposite sex who possess certain characteristics. These indicate the chances of the mate being able to give protection and support to offspring which makes them more attractive as a potential mate.
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Some critics reject sexual selection as an explanation for male preferences for younger women. An alternative explanation is based on the need for social power; younger women are easier to control and therefore preferred as mates.
Kenrick et al rejects this claim that males consistently prefer younger women. He found that teenage males are most attracted to women 5 years older than them even though the older women appear to show no interest in them.
People spend time choosing a mate because the genetic quality of a mate will determine half the genes of any offspring. Low quality mates will be more likely to produce unattractive, unhealthy offspring. By mating with an attractive high quality mate, offspring will be high quality.
Buss et al conducted a cross-cultural study over 37 cultures with over 10,000 people on mate preference. Men reported to prefer young physically attractive females while females preferred physically strong and athletic males who had good resources. Both sexes valued intelligence on potential mates. Both are engaging in behaviour that increases reproductive success.
Questionnaires were used which can be easily mid-understand across cultures. Self-reports may be inaccurate as well as translation problems.
Penton-vial et al suggests that female mate choice is not constant and varies across the menstrual cycle. For short term relationships during the high conception risk phase of cycle, women prefer a masculinised face and for long term relationships they prefer feminised faces because it suggests kindness and and parental care.
