Relationships

• What drives human reproductive behavior according to the evolutionary explanation?

  The need to survive and reproduce
• What is sexual selection?

  Competition for mates based on traits
• Who typically chooses mates in intersexual selection?

  Females choose mates based on traits
• Why are females more selective in mate choice?

  Females invest more in offspring
• What is intrasexual selection?

  Competition among the same sex for mates
• What do males compete for in intrasexual selection?

  Access to attract members of the opposite sex
• What are enhanced secondary sexual characteristics?

  Physical traits selected for by both genders
• What qualities do females look for in potential mates?

  Resources, money, and physical characteristics
• What do males look for in potential mates?

  Fertility indicators for healthy offspring
• What did Dunbar and Wayf (1995) find about male preferences?

  42% of males sought youth in mates
• What did Clark and Hatfield (1989) discover about sexual propositions?

  0% of females agreed to sex, 75% of males did
• What did Cunningham (1986) find attractive in men?

  Images of youthful faces and large eyes
• What hip-to-waist ratio is preferred cross-culturally?

  0.7 hip-to-waist ratio
• What is a criticism of the evolutionary approach to partner preferences?

  It legitimizes a gender double standard
• What is self-disclosure in romantic relationships?

  Sharing personal information to build trust
• What does social penetration theory suggest?

  Relationships develop from shallow to intimate topics
• What is reciprocity in self-disclosure?

  Mutual sharing of information between partners
• How does appropriateness affect self-disclosure?

  Inappropriate disclosure can lower attraction
• What did Sper and Hendrik find about self-disclosure?

  Positive correlation with relationship quality
• What is a limitation of self-disclosure research?

  Much of it is correlational, not causal
• What is the halo effect in physical attractiveness?

  Attractive people are assumed successful in life
• What does the matching hypothesis suggest?

  People seek partners of similar attractiveness
• What did Merin (1972) find about couple attractiveness?

  Couples were similar in attractiveness levels
• How does online dating relate to the matching hypothesis?

  It relies heavily on visual cues for selection
• What is filter theory in romantic relationships?

  Attraction passes through a series of filters
• What is the first filter in filter theory?

  Social demography influences initial attraction
• What is the second filter in filter theory?

  Similarity in attitudes enhances attraction
• What is the third filter in filter theory?

  Complementarity provides emotional needs
• What did Kirkoff and Davies (1962) find about short-term relationships?

  Similarity of attitudes was most important
• How do beliefs converge in long-term relationships?

  Partners communicate and share values over time
• What is social exchange theory?

  Relationships are like a cost-benefit analysis
• What is the minmax principle in social exchange theory?

  Maximizing rewards while minimizing losses
• What are some rewards in a relationship?

  Self-esteem, friendship, and financial security
• What is comparison level in social exchange theory?

  Evaluating relationships against past experiences
• What is comparison of alternatives in social exchange theory?

  Considering other potential partners for better rewards
• What is equity in social exchange theory?

  Balance of rewards and costs for both partners
• What is investment theory in social exchange theory?

  Considering resources invested in the relationship
• What are intrinsic investments in a relationship?

  Resources placed directly into the relationship
• What are extrinsic investments in a relationship?

  Resources originally outside now connected to the relationship
• What did Rosor (1983) find about cost-benefit analysis in relationships?

  It applied less at the start of a relationship