Sex
Refers to whether an individual is male or female biologically.
Gender
A person’s nonbiological and non physiological attributes, characteristics, and behaviours that are viewed as masculine or feminine.
___ is fixed, while ___ is fluid.
Sex, gender.
Primary Sex Characteristics
Different chromosomes, sex hormones, internal structures, external genitalia.
Secondary Sex Characteristics
Breasts, finer skin, more subcutaneous fat in females. Deeper voice, greater musculature in males.
Tertiary Sex Characteristics
Behaviours learned from historical, social, and cultural circumstances.
Men can figure out their sexual orientation by ___, but women cannot.
Monitoring their genitalia.
d Statistic
A standardized way of quantifying differences between groups, if for comparing research results across multiple studies.
d = 0
Men and women do not differ.
Positive d value
Males score higher than females on the dimension.
Negative d value
Females score higher than males on the dimension.
Regardless of the domain, the differences between men and women are vastly large. True or false?
False.
Nature
Evolved or inherited biological substrates for human adaptation and behaviour, often contrasted with nurture, or changes that result from the environment and socialization.
Nurture
Effects on human adaptation and behaviour that result from experiences with the environment, including socialization, typically contrasted with nature.
Intrasexual Competition
The ways men and women compete with other members of their own sex to gain advantage in the mating marketplace.
Social Structural Theory
An explanation for psychological and behavioural differences between women and men based on physical specialization of the sexes, division of labour, social construction of gender, and local economies.
Power
An individual’s capacity to alter the behaviour and experience of others, while also resisting the influence of others.
Empathic Accuracy
The capacity for one person to be accurate in knowing what someone else is thinking or feeling.
Differences in showing empathy may be a result of ___, not ___.
Motivation, ability.
Female sexual behaviour is more ___ than male sexual behaviour.
Malleable.
Sex Role Identity
The way people view themselves in terms of masculine and feminine traits.
Androgynous
Individuals high in both masculine and feminine traits.
Androgynous individuals exhibit what traits?
- Higher self-esteem.
- Lower levels of anxiety.
- Higher levels of EI.
- Better able to adjust behaviour according to situation (assertive vs. passive).
Schemas
Cognitive categories that organize ideas and beliefs about certain concepts.
Women are more likely to emphasize ___ bonds, while men are more likely to emphasize ___ bonds.
Dyadic, group.
___ have higher relationship awareness than ___.
Women, men.
Women may make connections between relationships events, even though…
Those connections may not exist.
Women may become frustrated with the lack of memory that men possess, and take it as a sign of…
Disinterest in the relationship.
Men and women are equally capable of displaying supportive behaviours, but men are more likely to include ___.
Criticism.
Men and women share many of the same understandings about intimacy. However, what were two main differences?
- Men were 7 times more likely to bring up sex.
2. Men were much less likely to than women to think if expressing appreciation.
Why are men like thermometers and women like barometers?
Women can read what us coming ahead (forecast), while men get a reading in the moment.
When breaking up, when does each gender get stressed?
Women before the breakup and men after.
After a divorce or breakup, how does each gender fare?
Men tend to have greater financial stability, but a less stable life satisfaction. Women tend to have less financial stability, but a more stable life satisfaction.
Who suffers more at the death a spouse, men or women?
Men.
___ appear to benefit from being in close contact with ___.
Men, women.
Sexual Minorities
Individuals who do not identify themselves as primarily and exclusively straight in their sexual orientation; gay men and lesbians.
What are some challenges faced by same-sex couples?
- Developing an identity.
- Must combat scorn/ostracism.
- Do not receive same level of societal and familial support.
What type of couples have the most sex?
Gay.
Monogamy
The practice of sexual and emotional exclusivity in an intimate relationship.
How does homosexuality affect sex?
- Gay men have more sex.
- Gay men are less likely to be monogamous.
- Lesbian women have the least sex.
Same-sex marriages are not as satisfying as different-sex marriages. True or false?
False.
Same-sex marriages are not as stable as different-sex marriages. True or false?
True.
What are the 3 main reasons that same-sex marriages are less stable?
- Context is different, society does not expect them to stay together.
- Lesbians in particular have very high emotional needs. This can lead to them making a clean break.
- Homosexual couples approach relationships with very high standards.
What are some other reasons same-sex marriages are less stable?
- Fewer institutional supports.
- Do not have to consider children in many cases.
What are the 3 factors along with same-sex and different-sex couples differ?
- Context.
- Sexual activity and monogamy.
- Relationship dissolution.
Can we understand intimate relationships without taking into account the sex of the partners involved?
No.
In order to understand intimate relationships, we must go beyond…
The sex of the partners involved.
