1 / 15

Evolutionary Psychology Week 7 - Mate Selection

Evolutionary Psychology Week 7 - Mate Selection. Aim: To consider why humans express the Week 7 Mate preferences that they do. Reward: You should have a better idea as to why these preferences have come about, their function & how individuals vary. Running Order: Mating systems

kyra-cline
Télécharger la présentation

Evolutionary Psychology Week 7 - Mate Selection

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Aim: To consider why humans express the Week 7 Mate preferences that they do. Reward: You should have a better idea as to why these preferences have come about, their function & how individuals vary. Running Order: Mating systems Week 7 Mate value r and K selection Mixed strategies

  2. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Mating systems Evolutionary Psychology - The forward approach • What we assume to be the mating system in the EEA acts as a hypothesis generator for what we would predict in the present. Darwinian Social Science – The backward approach • What we see in the present acts as a hypothesis generator for the EEA.

  3. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Evolutionary Psychology What can mating systems tell us about female choice? • Assume that the prevailing mating system that we inherited from the australopithecine’s was polygamy. • However, as brain size increased and the length of childhood grew the need for investment from the father of offspring grew – in other words, there was a push from the female side toward monogamy. • Next, assume that group size facilitated direct female choice – i.e. there were no longer saddled with the ‘winner’ of intra-male competition.

  4. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Evolutionary Psychology What can mating systems tell us about female choice? What sort of Week 7 Mate preferences would females exhibit? • Preparedness to invest • Ability to invest • Emotional & economic fidelity • Ability to offer protection.

  5. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Evolutionary Psychology What can our mating systems tell us about male choice? • Again, assume that the prevailing mating system that we inherited from the australopithecine’s was polygamy. • And, again, assume that there was pressure on males toward a monogamous system – which would have suited those who lost out altogether in a polygamous system. • Notice that in such circumstances the potential RS of males is now tied to that of females – i.e. a ceiling is imposed.

  6. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Evolutionary Psychology What can mating systems tell us about male choice? What sort of Week 7 Mate preferences would males exhibit? • Fertility • Health • Preparedness to invest • Sexual fidelity.

  7. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection What do men want in women? • Kindness & understanding • Intelligence • Physical attractiveness • Exciting personality • Good health • Adaptability • Creativity • Chastity • Desire for children • Graduate • Good stock • Earning capacity • Good housekeeper What do women want in men? • Kindness & understanding • Intelligence • Exciting personality • Good health • Adaptability • Physical attractiveness • Creativity • Earning capacity • Graduate • Desire for children • Good stock • Good housekeeper • Chastity Adapted from Buss, 1989; 1998

  8. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection r and K – the same structure can be applied within a species

  9. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Mixed Strategies: Biological & psychological indicators The Coolidge Effect Men have lower Week 7 Mate quality standards. More willing to have a causal sexual encounter with a stranger and more often. Sexual jealousy. Why would we be jealous if we were fundamentally monogamous? Sperm competition. Sperm competition could only have evolved if it was common for women to have sex with different males over periods of 0 to 6 days.

  10. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Mixed Strategies What’s in it for females? Paternal confusion – genetic spread bets. Social exchange – sex as a reciprocation. Social climbing – the Week 7 Mate Switching Hypotheses . What are the costs for females? Reputation – If males value fidelity, cues at variance with this would be a disadvantage. Spousal abuse.

  11. Polygamy Polyandry Serial Monogamy Monogamy Polygyny? Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Teens Week 7 Mate choice maturation For females . . . . . . . . . Mid-20’s

  12. Polygamy Polygyny Serial Monogamy Monogamy Polyandry? Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Teens Week 7 Mate choice maturation For males . . . . . . . . . Mid-20’s

  13. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Mate value Health Age Status The market place Media Honest & dishonest advertising

  14. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Mate value & r and K selection Females Males We might predict an asymmetry in the behaviour of high value males and high value females. And an asymmetry in low value females and low value males. Mate value No. of Mates

  15. Evolutionary PsychologyWeek 7 - Mate Selection Findings from Social Psychology of attraction We are attracted to ... • Similar others • Those with whom we have repeated contact • Those who like us • Those with whom we experience stress • Assortative mating & The Matching Hypothesis

More Related