Chapter 4

Question 1

gametes.

Answer 1

Mature reproductive cells

Question 2

Zygote

Answer 2

a fertilized gamete.

Question 3

Trivers’s (1972) theory of parental investment and sexual selection makes two profound predictions:

Answer 3

(1) The sex that invests more in offspring (typically, but not always, the female) will be more discriminating or selective about mating
(2) the sex that invests less in offspring will be more competitive for sexual access to the high-investing sex.

Question 4

polygyny

Answer 4

the mating or marriage of a single man with several women

Question 5

monogamous

Answer 5

the mating of one man with one woman

Question 6

fndings from other cultures continue to support the hypothesis that:

Answer 6

women have evolved preferences for men with resources.

Question 7

A study of mate selection in the country of Jordan found that _______ more than ____ valued economic ability, as well as qualities linked to economic ability such as status,
ambition, and education

Answer 7

women; men

Question 8

Women also place tremendous value on ______ in a long-term mate

Answer 8

intelligence

Question 9

a study of the reproductive outcomes of women living in preindustrial Finland in the 18th and 19th centuries found that:

Answer 9

women married to wealthier men had higher survival rates
and a larger number of children who survived to adulthood than women married to poorer men

Question 10

bara asami

Answer 10

great man or someone high in rank

Question 11

Why do women prefer somewhat older men, but not much older men?

Answer 11

The answer seems to lie partially in problems that develop in much older men—they are more likely to be infertile, women who get pregnant with them are more likely to experience
pregnancy problems, and children of much older men are at increased risk of genetic abnormalities

Question 12

How do people get ahead in everyday life?

Answer 12

Among all the tactics, sheer hard work proves to be one of the best predictors of past and anticipated income and promotions.

Question 13

Among the 18 characteristics rated in the worldwide study on mate selection, the second- and third-most-highly-valued characteristics are a _______ and __________

Answer 13

dependable character and emotional stability/maturity.

Question 14

These characteristics may possess great value to women worldwide for two reasons:

Answer 14

(1) they are reliable signals that resources will be provided consistently over time.
(2) men who lack dependability and emotional stability provide erratically and inflict heavy emotional and other costs on their mate

Question 15

One benefit to women of long-term mating is the _____ ______ a man can offer.

Answer 15

physical protection

Question 16

Women solve the problem of protection from other aggressive men at least in part by preferring a mate who has
the ______, _______, and ______ to protect them.

Answer 16

size, strength, and physical prowess

Question 17

Mating with someone who is unhealthy would have posed a number of adaptive risks
for our ancestors.

Answer 17

(1) an unhealthy mate would have a higher risk of becoming
debilitated
(2) unhealthy mate would be at greater risk of dying prematurely
(3) an unhealthy mate might transfer communicable diseases.
(4) an unhealthy mate might infect the children of the union
(5) if health is partly heritable, a person who chooses an unhealthy mate would risk passing on genes for poor health to children

Question 18

developmental stability

Answer 18

Some individuals are able to withstand such events and stresses better than others

Question 19

Women overall preferred faces that were more _________ than average.

Answer 19

masculine-looking

Question 20

___________ top women’s and men’s list as most central to love.

Answer 20

Acts of commitment

Question 21

One component of commitment is ______

Answer 21

Fidelity

Question 22

Another adaptive problem that women face when selecting a long-term mate is gauging men’s willingness to invest in children. This adaptive problem is important for two
reasons:

Answer 22

(1) Men sometimes seek sexual variety and so may channel their efforts toward other women (mating effort) rather than toward children (parental effort)
(2) men evaluate the likelihood that they are the actual genetic father of a child and tend to withhold investment from the child when they know or suspect that the child is not their own

Question 23

women appear to have a specific preference for and attraction to men who show a willingness to invest in children, is the reverse true?

Answer 23

No

Question 24

Similarity leads to:

Answer 24

emotional bonding, cooperation, communication, mating happiness, lower risk of breaking up, and possibly increased survival of children

Question 25

Homogamy for physical appearance might be due to ______ ______ on the opposite-sex parent during childhood

Answer 25

“Sexual imprinting”

Question 26

Women greatly value the traits of ______, _______, and ________ in a long-term mate

Answer 26

kindness, altruism, and generosity

Question 27

Precisely why do women value humor in a mate?

Answer 27

One theory proposes that humor is an indicator of “good genes” (a fitness indicator), signaling creativity and excellent functioning of complex cognitive skills that are not impaired by a high mutation load

Question 28

Another set of preferences centers on what women avoid or fnd intolerable in a mate— what are informally called _____ ______

Answer 28

deal breakers

Question 29

What is one of the most important deal breakers?

Answer 29

Incest avoidance

Question 30

Hypotheses for why a deep male voice is attractive are that it signals:

Answer 30

(1) sexual maturity, (2) larger body size or physical formidability, (3) good genetic quality, (4) dominance, or (5) all of the above.

Question 31

mate choice copying.

Answer 31

When a person’s attraction to or choice of a potential mate is influenced by the preferences and mating decisions of others

Question 32

Does a woman’s mate value influence her mate preferences?

Answer 32

Women who view themselves as physically attractive also show a more pronounced preference for symmetrical male faces and men who display vocal masculinity, marked by a low-pitched voice

Question 33

For a number of reasons, however, preferences should not show a perfect correspondence with actual mating behavior:

Answer 33

(1) highly desirable potential mates are always in short supply. (2) one’s own mate value limits access to those who are highly desirable. The most desirable women are in the best position to attract the most desirable men, and vice versa. (3) parents and other kin sometimes influence one’s mating decisions, regardless of personal preferences.