FE18 Flashcards
Two different features of adult human morphology contribute to sexual dimorphism in the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Identify each of these features of human morphology and, for each, explain the ultimate function of the greater size of this feature in women
• Gynoid fat distribution – butt and such
o Signal health to mate
o Greater fat deposits
• Pelvic width which would be sexual dimorphic with relevance to childbirth
What is the relationship between adolescent pregnancy, WHR, and the mother’s (not the child’s) IQ in adulthood? Briefly describe (at the proximate level) why this relationship holds
• Mother’s WHR is negatively correlated with both own IQ and kids IQ
o Narrower her waist in relevance to her hips shows how smarter she is and how smarter her kid is. Narrower her waist relative to her hips shows how much more she has to build her own brain and her kids brains
• Mothers pregnant as teens suffer subsequent IQ cost, but this is buffered by low maternal WHR
In adult women, there is a positive correlation between parity (the condition of having borne children) and WHR. Briefly explain (at the proximate level) why this correlation occurs
• You’d gain more weight around the areas as you had children. So your WHR would increase
In light of your answer to (c), how would you expect the rate of extrinsic mortality affecting children to influence the extent of the correlation between parity and WHR? Provide an ultimate explanation for the pattern of influence that you predict.
• You would have more children because you are not in control of their livelihood and then the WHR would also increase
) The importance of WHR in judgments of female attractiveness varies across societies. Briefly describe what other feature of female morphology impacts the importance of WHR in this regard, and provide an ultimate explanation for this pattern.
- Body fat. In populations that you can’t depend on others, where resources are scarce,
- Kipsigi bride price—fatter the woman, the more cows she’d get
