Evolutionary explanations for partner preference

Question 1

What does human reproductive behaviour mean?

Answer 1

Patterns, strategies and mechanisms that exhibit to ensure successful reproduction and the survival of offspring

Question 2

What is anisogamy?

Answer 2

Differences between male and female gametes

Question 3

What two types of sexual selection are there?

Answer 3

Intrasexual selection = the competition between each sex (eg: strategies between males to be the selected one) (Used by males)
Intersexual selection = strategies used to select a favourable partner (used by females)

Question 4

Do males/females prefer quality or quantity?

Answer 4

Males - Quantity as they have a lot of sperm available and can impregnate more than one woman
Females- Quality as they only have one egg released monthly and can only be impregnated by one person. They must make a valuable investment.

Question 5

How does anisogamy impact sexual selection?

Answer 5

It influences female selectivity and male competition, driving the evolution of making strategies and physical traits between the sexes.

Question 6

What is the runaway process?

Answer 6

A form of sexual selection in which a trait becomes increasingly exaggerated over generations because it is desired by the opposite sex

Question 7

What are the behavioural and psychological consequences are there due to intrasexual selection?

Answer 7

Behavioural - aggression, competition, mate guarding, status seeking
Psychological - jealousy, self esteem, confidence

Question 8

Partner preference supporting evidence: David Buss (1989)

Answer 8

• Conducted a survey of over 10,000 adults in 33 countries. Asked questions relating to age and a variety of attributes that the evolutionary theory predicts should be important in partner preference.
• Found female respondents placed greater value on resource-related characteristics such as good financial prospects, ambition, etc than males did
• Male valued reproductive capacity in terms of go looks and chastity and preferred younger mates, more than females did.
• Increases validity of the explanation

Question 9

Partner preference supporting evidence: Clark and Hatfield (1989)

Answer 9

• Sent male and female psychology students out across a university campus to ask individuals to go to bed with them tonight.
• Findings: 0% of females said yes and 75% of males answered yes
• Supports the theory of females use of intrasexual selection and males using intersexual selection
• Increases the validity of the explanation

Question 10

Partner preference limitation: Social/Cultural influences

Answer 10

• Partner preferences over the past century have undoubtedly been influenced by rapidly changing social norms of behaviour. These develop much faster than evolutionary timescales imply and have instead come about due to cultural factors (eg. availability of contraception).
• Women’s greater role in the workplace means they are no longer dependent on men to provide for them.
  -Tamas Bereczkei et al. (1997) argue that this social change has consequences for women’s mate preferences, which may no longer be resource-oriented.
• It is an outcome of a combination of evolutionary and cultural influences. Any theory that fails to account for both is a limited explanation.

Question 11

Partner preference limitation: Too simplistic

Answer 11

• That one strategy is adaptive for all males and another is adaptive for all females is simplistic.
• Sexual strategies theory argues that both males and females adopt similar mating strategies when seeking long-term relationships. Both sexes are very choosy and look for partners who are loving, loyal and kind, for example.
• This is a more complex and nuanced view of how evolutionary pressures influence partner preferences which takes account of the context of reproductive behaviour.