evolutionary explanation

• sexual selection: main aim is to reproduce and pass on genes

  • behaviour is biologically determined, innate and no conscious choice on how to behave
• natural selection; survival of the fittest, we have adaptive traits that are passed on when we repreduce

  human traits;

  • females, wide hips to survive childbirth
  • males, height and strength
• INTRA sexual selection; within one sex there is mate competition, whciveer male wins can pass their genes down to the offspring - trait that helped them win is adaptive

  • deer antler fighting
  • bird singing/dancing
• human reproduction strategies;

  • sneak copulation; less dominant male mates first to avoid competition with stronger dominant male
  • mate guarding; the female is fertile, male protects and guards her to ensure no one else can impregnate her
  • courtship rituals; men trying to seduce the female through dancing and singing
• peacock theory; males have characterstics that attract females - more colourful and exaggerated tails
• sexual dimorphism; sexes of the same specification have different characteristics
• INTER sexual selection; between one sex, there are traits that increase attractiveness that attract opposing sex - females being more choosy

  human traits;

  • female, good with kids and distinctive features - wide hips, younger
  • males, high earning jobs and masculinity
• sexy sons theory; Fischer; females look for a male with good genes to pass down to have 'sexy sons'.
• anisogamy; males have more sperm compared to female eggs.

  • sexual selection is consistent with anisogamy, difference between female and male sex cells
• evaluation:

  strengths;

  • Clark and Hatfield (1989); sent female and male students around uni campus to ask opposite sexes if they wanted to sleep with them. no females agreed whereas 75% men said yes - supports to show women have limited eggs and are more choosy
  • Buss (1989); conducted a survey to ask evolutionary theory predicts are important in partner preferences - females placed value on financial statys whereas males placed value on physical attractivenss
• evaluation;

  weakness;

  • lacks temporal validity, changing social norms as women are more independent and do not rely on men to provide resources
  • limited application to non-heterosexual relationships
  • alpha bias, exaggerated difference to assume men sleep around and women do not
  • doesn't consider that humans have free will and can make their own mating choices