Evolutionary Explanations

• The evolutionary explanation of sexual selection is based on the idea that human beings seek to continue their genetic line using the mechanisms of adaption to ensure their survival
• Traits are passed through generations with only the fittest traits surviving the process
• The evolutionary approach is based purely on opposite-sex attraction
• The traits that are deemed attractive by males and females are distinct and have different functions
• Inter-sexual selection is between the sexes and is the strategies that males use to selcect females (vice versa)
• Example of inter-sexual selection:

  Male peacocks display of colourful feathers to attract females
• Inter-sexual selection:

  Human males who are wealthy give a ‘display’ of their wealth via expensive cars, houses, yachts etc (this shows that he can support her and any children she may bear him)
• Inter-sexual selection: Human females who are fertile tend to be young with physical attributes like; generous hips, ample bosom and all round good health (long shiny hair, clear, bright eyes)
• Inter-sexual selection:

  • females must show they are a good ’investment’
  • males have to offer security to females
• Anisogamy - the idea that ‘sperm is cheap and eggs are expensive’ (men can produce millions a day and females can produce one a month)
• Intra sexual selection refers to the strategies between males to be the one that is selected
• Intra-sexual selection:

  Competition takes place within groups of males for female attention but females don’t need to compete. As males desire lots of females
• Intra-sexual selection:

  Physical and psychological traits males should possess in order to compete

  • height
  • muscles
  • physical fitness
  • agression
  • competitiveness
  • risk - taking
• Intra-sexual selection:

  As females don’t need to physically compete for males attention they have evolved to be smaller, less muscular and have less physical strength and to be less aggressive and competitive
• Research which investigates evolutionary partner preferences:

  1. Buss (1989)
  2. Clark and Hatfield (1989)
  3. Ronany and Von Hippel (2010)
• Research which investigates evolutionary partner preferences:

  Buss (1989) - A cross-cultural survey conducted over 33 countries which found that females prefer males who have resources and ambition

  Whereas men prefer young female partners who are attractive and fertile
• Research which investigates evolutionary partner preferences:

  Clarke and Hatfield (1989) - A field experiment in which students were asked to ’go to bed’ with and opposite sex stranger (of the same age and deemed attractive)

  • 75% of males said yes
  • 0% of females said yes
• Research which investigates evolutionary partner preferences:

  Ronay and Von Hippel - A field experiment in which male skateboarders took greater risks in the presence of a female
• Evolutiovary Explanation- PEEL Paragraphs:

  1. Strength - Supporting research - provides validity
  2. Weakness - Lacks external validity
  3. Weakness - Not a full explanation
  4. Weakness - Reductionist
• Evolutionary Explanation- PEEL Paragraph 1:

  Strength - Supporting research provides validity

  • Buss (1989)
  • Clarke and Hatfield (1989)
  • Ronny and Von Hippel (2010)
• Evolutionary Explanation- PEEL Paragraph 2:

  Weakness - Lacks external validity as it doesn’t account for variations in mating preferences - women are actually able to support themselves and do not necessarily need to rely on a man; some men do not focus on physical attractiveness above all else when looking for a female mate
• Evolutionary Explanation- PEEL Paragraph 3:

  Not a full explanation - doesn't account for homosexual relationships
• inter-sexual selection is between the sexes
• intra-sexual selection is within each sex
• anisogamy = refers to the differences between male and female sex cells
• A consequence og anisogamy is that there is no shortage of fertile males but a fertile female is a much rarer 'resource'
• inter-sexual selection is the prefered strategy of the female (quality over quantity)
• The consequence of making a wrong partner choice is more serious for a female therefore they are more selective
• Attractive traits are passed through generations as females choose partners with these traits and they become gradually exaggerated

  • known as a runaway process
• Intra-sexaul selection is the preffered strategy of the male (quantity over quality)
• Intra-sexual selection:

  There is competition between males to be selected as a mate by females - the winner reproduces and those characteristics are passed on
• Evolutionary Approach - PEEL Paragraph 4:

  Weakness - Reductionist - condense complex human behaviour such as sexual selection into a simple explanation which arguably pushes a sexist agenda that females are just baby-makers