Relationships

• Sexual selection= the process which man and women attempt to maximise their chances of reproductive chances

  • Intrasexual(male competition)
  • Intersexual(mate choice)
• Ansigomy= difference between male and female sex cells (gametes)

  • male gametes- sperm, produced from puberty to old age, little energy
  • female gametes- egg/ova, lots of energy, limited time of years
• Intra-sexual selection

  • competition between males fr a female mate
  • winner reproduces and passes on the genes contributed to their success
  • explain differences in physical appearances between genders known as physical dimorphism
• Inter-sexual selection

  • 'female choice'
  • idea that females place a greater investment of time, energy and resources in raising a child
  • need to select carefully to provide right genetic fit, provide necessary resources to support them and their child
• Clark and Hatfield

  • ask volunteers to approach opposite-sex students on uni campus and ask same three questions: Ive seen you on a campus and found you attractive

  1. will you go on a date with me
  2. will you come back to my apartment
  3. will you go to bed with me tonight

  • 69% males accepted female invitation for apartment
  • 6% female to go to apartment
  • 75% men accepted bed offer
  • zero women accepted bed offer
• Singh

  • studies preferred waist to hip ratio as a sign of female fertility in Miss-America contest
  • found men generally found any waist to hip ratio attractive- approximately 0.7
• Waynforth and Dunbar

  • research 'lonely hearts' column in the American newspaper
  • women tend to describe their physical attractiveness
  • men advertise resources and intelligence
• Buss

  • surveys over 10000 adults in 33 countries
  • females universally place more important on the resource-related characteristics in a partner r.g. ambition
  • males prefer younger mates and value more ability to reproduce
• Self disclosure= sharing personal intimate info
• Self disclosure diagram of attraction

  meet

  attraction

  share superficial info

  reciprocated

  trust built

  deep/more personal

  reciprocated trust built

  increase attraction
• Hass and Stafford

  • study with gay men and women to discover how they sustained and developed their romantic relationships with partners