Relationships - Evolutionary Explanations for Partner Preferences Flashcards
(7 cards)
Darwin - Sexual Selection
‘Survival of the sexiest’
Individuals choose partners based on characteristics that increase reproductive success - adaptive characteristic
Inter-sexual selection - Mate Choice
Women typically more selective in choosing a partner due to their higher potential investment - (pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing)
Tend to favour partners with resources, status, ability to provide protection - more discriminating than men
Intra-sexual selection - Mate Competion
Usually male compete with each other for females
Traits enable competition with members of the same sex
Winners mate - losers’ genes not passed on
Male preferences: lower parental investment - seek youth, physical attractiveness, signals for fertility & reproductive potential, wide hips
Inter-sexual selection determines intra-sexual selection
Anisogamy
Differences between males & females - have different gametes
Difference in levels of investment
Buss - sexual jealousy
Asked ppt to imagine partners having sex/being in love with someone else & measured stress responses.
* Men more stressed at idea of partner being sexually unfaithful – he risks investing in offspring that were not his own.
* Women more stressed at idea of them being emotionally unfaithful – risk diversion of resources away from her
Buss - Preferences
Cross-cultural study involving over 10,000 ppt from 37 cultures
Findings supported evolutionary explanation
- Women prioritising resource availability & men valuing physical attractiveness in a partner
Evolutionary evaluation
Strengths:
Scientific basis – founded on evolutionary theory
Weaknesses:
Falsifiability, evolution has already occurred.
Difficult to apply to non-heterosexual relationships.
Not as relevant to today’s society – influence of changes in social attitudes and expectations
Biological reductionism and determinism.
