Relationships Flashcards
(61 cards)
What is human reproductive behaviour?
Strategies shaped by evolutionary pressures like sexual selection and parental investment, aimed at maximising reproductive success.
This includes the strategies individuals use to attract mates and reproduce.
What is anisogamy?
Differences in gamete size, leading to different mating strategies: males benefit from quantity (short-term mating), females from quality (selectivity and long-term investment).
Anisogamy refers to the distinct sizes of male and female gametes, influencing reproductive strategies.
Define intra-sexual selection.
Same-sex competition, typically among males, involving behaviours like mate guarding and explaining its evolutionary function. Typically a male choice.
Intra-sexual selection is a key mechanism of sexual selection where individuals of the same sex compete for mates.
What is inter-sexual selection?
Typically female choice, highlighting preferences for traits like resourcefulness, health, and commitment due to higher female parental investment.
This selection process influences mate preferences and reproductive strategies.
What is Parental Investment Theory?
Trivers’ theory that both sexes are selective, but females more so due to higher biological investment—shaping evolutionary pressures and reproductive strategies.
This theory explains why females often have more stringent mate selection criteria.
What does the Sexy Sons Hypothesis propose?
Females prefer to mate with attractive males so that their sons will inherit these attractive traits, making them more likely to reproduce successfully in the future.
This hypothesis suggests that females may prefer males with attractive traits to produce equally attractive offspring.
What is meant by a feedback loop in sexual selection?
occurs when a trait preferred by one sex leads to reinforcement of that trait across generations
This preference creates a cycle where the trait becomes increasingly exaggerated as it is selected for, which in turn further strengthens the preference, continuing the loop
What is meant by runaway selection n sexual selection?
Runaway selection is a process in sexual selection where a particular trait becomes exaggerated over generations due to a positive feedback loop between mate preferences and trait expression.
Over time, the preference for the trait and its expression in the population continue to grow, even if the trait becomes costly or less practical.
What did Buss (1989) find about mate preferences?
Women value resource-based traits (e.g., jobs), while men value physical attractiveness and younger partners, supporting evolutionary theory of mate selection.
This study highlights differing mate preferences based on gender.
True or False: Kenrick et al. (1996) found that men are universally attracted to younger women.
False. Males often attracted to older women, challenging the idea that men universally prefer younger, highly fertile women
This study challenges the idea that all men prefer younger, highly fertile women.
What does self-disclosure refer to in romantic relationships?
The voluntary sharing of personal information, thoughts, and feelings with a romantic partner, helping to build intimacy, trust, and emotional connection.
Self-disclosure is crucial for developing close relationships.
What did Clark and Hatfield find about sexual selection in a study of university students?
Men more likely to agree to casual sex offers than women. About 50% of men and women agreed to the date, but 69% of men agreed to visit the apartment, and 75% agreed to go to bed with them; only 6% of women agreed to go to the apartment, and 0% accepted the more intimate offer.
Research on sexual selection is representative of modern society - true or false.
FALSE - Bereczkei et al. (1997): Women’s financial independence and delayed marriage age indicate that modern mate preferences are shaped by social and economic changes, not just evolutionary factors.
Chang et al. (2011): Mate preferences evolve over time in response to cultural shifts, suggesting that evolutionary theory doesn’t fully explain contemporary relationships.
According to Social Penetration Theory, how do relationships progress?
From superficial breadth (e.g., hobbies) to emotional depth (e.g., fears, trauma) through gradual self-disclosure.
This theory outlines the stages of intimacy in relationships.
What is the role of reciprocity in self-disclosure?
Mutual sharing is essential for intimacy; when one partner discloses, the other is expected to respond in kind.
Reciprocity enhances emotional connection and relationship satisfaction.
Fill in the blank: Moderate self-disclosure is more attractive in early stages; deep disclosure becomes more _______ as relationships develop.
meaningful
Timing of self-disclosure impacts attraction and relationship dynamics.
What did Sprecher et al. (2013) find about self-disclosure?
Balanced, mutual disclosure increases satisfaction and attraction; one-sided disclosure can harm relationship quality.
This study emphasizes the importance of reciprocity in self-disclosure.
What research is there on self disclosure cross culturally?
Tang et al. (2013): Found cultural differences in self-disclosure, with US participants disclosing more than Chinese participants, but no difference in relationship satisfaction, limiting the generalizability of self-disclosure theory beyond Western cultures.
Name a benefit to understanding self disclosure. Is there research on this?
Haas and Stafford (1998): Found that 57% of homosexual couples said open self-disclosure was key to relationship satisfaction, showing how self-disclosure can be deliberately used to strengthen relationships.
What is the halo effect?
The tendency for one positive characteristic, like physical attractiveness, to disproportionately influence our judgement of a person’s other traits.
This phenomenon can lead to biased perceptions of individuals based on their looks.
What did Palmer & Peterson, 2012 find in relation to the Halo effect?
attractive people were rated higher on traits like political competence and knowledge, supporting the idea of the halo effect, where attractiveness influences perceptions of other positive qualities.
What does the matching hypothesis suggest?
People tend to choose partners who are similar to themselves in terms of physical attractiveness, aiming to avoid rejection and foster mutual satisfaction.
This hypothesis is based on the idea that similar partners create more stable relationships.
True or False: Symmetrical faces are perceived as less attractive.
False. Symmetry refers to the balanced proportions of the face, and research by Shackelford and Larsen (1997) shows that symmetrical faces are perceived as more attractive, often associated with good genes and immune function.
Research shows that symmetrical faces are often associated with good genes and are considered more attractive.
What is the role of neotenous features in attraction?
Neotenous features (e.g., large eyes, small nose) are traits that trigger a protective, caring instinct, particularly in men, encouraging long-term parental investment.
Neotenous features are linked to evolutionary preferences in mate selection.
