Evolutionary explanations

• Anisogamy


  The difference between male and female sex cells

  
• What are the difference in sexual selection between men and women?

  Men can be less choosy as they have millions of sperm that stays with them through the majority of their lives, so they can choose a quantity over quality approach and impregnate anyone they want as they wont suffer from it because they will never run out of sperm.

  Where as women women tend to be more picky with who they choose to have a child with as the amount of eggs they are born with, is the amount of eggs they will have for the rest of their lives, hence why they tend to be choosy as they want to choose the right man who is committed to them with the right resources

  
• Intrasexual selection


  When one sex competes with other same sex members for access to the opposite sex.

  
• What happens if you 'win' (intrasexual)

  Then you are able to mate and pass on desirable genes.
• Intersexual selection


  A specific trait that is desirable in a sex.
• Examples of intersexual selection that men/women find attractive about the opposite sex.


  Men - 0.7 hip to waist ratio, young

  Women - muscular men, good resources
• What hypothesis supports intersexual selection?

  Sexy sons hypothesis
• Sexy sons hypothesis


  When women choose a man with attractive traits in order to pass on that attractive gene to their children so they can attract other females and create offspring with them.
• Clark and Hatfield's study aim

  To see if their was a reproductive behaviour between men and women
• Clark and Hatfield's study


  An attractive male and an attractive female experimenter went around a university campus and went up to students and stated that they had been noticing them around campus and then proceeded to ask three questions:

  
  

  1. Would you go on a date with me?

  2. Would you com to my apartment?

  3. Would you have sex with me?

  
• Findings of Clark and Hatfield's study

  75% of males agreed to have sex whereas none of the women agreed to sex.
• How does Clark and Hatfield's research findings support evolutionary perspectives of partner preferences? (Low quality man <3)

  Due to anisogamy, men chose to take the quantity over quality approach and agree to sex as they don't have much to lose whereas the women took the quality over quantity approach by not agreeing to sex as they didn't want to 'waste and egg' on a poor quality man with poor resources
• Counterargument for Clark and Hatfields research? (TAYLOR SWIFT)

  The study was conducted in 1989 where it was frowned upon for women to be promiscuous so it therefore lacks temporal validity.
• Buss research aim


  To explore what males and females looked for in a partner.
• How many people and cultures did Buss study?

  10,000 people from 37 different cultures.
• Buss findings of females mating preferences

  Females preferred men who could financially provide and men who were tall and strong.
• What were females looking for in males in Buss research?

  Females collectively looked for an older male who also had a symmetrical face and body.
• What did Buss's research find about males mating preferences and their preference in a female?

  They preferred women who were younger who were healthy and had physical symmetry women with a good waist to hip ratio
• What does Buss research support?

  It supports the idea of sexual selection in which selection is innate.
• What is a counterargument of Buss research?

  The study was only conducted on 37 countries and the amount of ppt in each varied. E.g. in India only 300 ppt were studied compared to 1.4k in the US.
• Is Buss research valid?

  Not entirely. the study looked at what peoples preferences were in the opposite sex, but if they state their preferences and end up marrying or getting with a completely different looking person it can invalidate the research.
• How do female mate preferences change during the menstrual cycle (eval Buss research)

  During ovulation, women find more muscular men attractive where as after ovulation they prefer softer more 'caring' looking features.