A01

• What is the evolutionary explanation for aggression?

  The belief that aggression has evolved because it solved challenges faced by our distant ancestors and so became more widespread in the gene pool, through the process of natural selection
• What is cuckoldry?

  The fear in men that they may be raising another man's offspring and so investing resources in offspring that are not their own genetic makeup
• What is sexual jealousy?

  An adaptation evolved in males to deal with paternal uncertainty
• What are mate retention strategies?

  Violent strategies driven by sexual jealousy which aim to prevent the female from mating with other males
• What are two mate-retention strategies?

  1. Direct-guarding

  2. Negative inducements
• What is direct-guarding?

  Restricting the female's freedom to prevent males from gaining access (e.g. checking who they've been seeing, installing tracking apps on their mobiles etc.)
• What are negative inducements?

  Issuing aggressive threats regarding potential infidelity (e.g. 'I will kill myself if you leave me')
• What is the evolutionary explanation for bullying?

  • Male bullying is adaptive because it signals desirable characteristics for females (e.g. dominance) and so increases reproductive success
  • Female bullying is adaptive as they use bullying behaviour to secure partner's fidelity so they will continue to provide resources for future offspring which enhances reproductive success
• Describe a study which shows support for the evolutionary explanation for aggression

  Shackleford et al. (2005):

  • Investigated intimate partner violence (IPV) in 107 heterosexual married couples
  • Males were given a questionnaire which assessed their mate retention behaviours and women were given a questionnaire which measured the extent of their partner's violence
  • Found a strong positive correlation between men's reports of their mate retention behaviours and women's reports of their partners' physical violence
  • Suggests adaptive mate retention strategies developed in males through evolution