Sexual selection

Sexual selection

1. AO1

   • Inter-sexual selection
     • Members of one sex competing to mate with the opposite sex
       • Victors mate and pass on their successful traits to offspring
   • Intra-sexual selection
     • Preferences of one sex for members of the opposite sex who possess certain traits
       • Prefernces determine the areas in which other sex must compete
         • Preferences are traits that could be passed to offspring
           • Humans are pre-programmed to attend to individuals that possess these traits
   • Short term mating preferences
     • Men
       • Men evolved desire for casual sex
         • Seek sex earlier in a relationship
     • Women
       • Did not undergo these evolutionary pressures
     • Long term mating preferences
       • Both sexes typically invest heavily in offspring
         • high levels of choosiness in both sexes
           • Men
             • Attracted to females who display signals of fertility
               • Reproductive value
             • Women
               • Obligatory biological investment
                 • Attracted to males who can
                   • Invest resources
                   • Protect
                   • Show promise as good parent

2. AO2

   • Logic of sexual selection
     • Being choosy is beneficial
       • Cost of mate choice impairs survival
       • Genetic quality of mate determines half of genetic quality of offspring
   • Female mate choice
     • Penton-Voak et al
       • Suggests female mate choice varies across course of menstrual cycle
         • Long-term relationship
           • Short-term relationship
             • More masculine
               • Most fertile period
                 • More testosterone, high immune system
           • Slightly feminine
             • Kindness, parental care
   • Male preferences
     • Buss
       • Conducted a study on 10,000 people from 37 different cultures
         • Results
           • Women desire men with good financial prospects
           • Men places importance on physical attractiveness
             • Signs of fertility
               • Importance
                 • Miller et al
                   • Tips earned by lapdancers
                     • Various stages in menstrual cycle
                       • Twice as much received in fertile stage
           • Men wanted mates younger than them
           • Both sexes wanted a dependable, kind and intelligent mate