Sexual Selection Research Paper

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Discuss the relationship between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviourThe Darwinian concept of natural selection involves the concept of 'survival of the fittest' this links directly to sexual selection as the genes that ensure survival and thus enhances reproductive success will be passed to the next generation. Two processes that take place in sexual selection and that are shown in human reproductive behaviour are intra-sexual and inter-sexual selection. Intra-sexual selection is mate competition where members of one sex will compete for members of the opposing sex, the traits of the successful individuals will be passed on to the next generation. Inter-sexual selection is mate choice, this involves developed preferences and…show more content…
Buss's research only gives an indication of expressed preferences rather than actually showing the choices people actually make in real life and so this research lacks validity. Waynforth and Dunbar's research supports Buss's findings, Waynforth and Dunbar analysed 900 US lonely hearts adverts from four newspapers and found that 42% of males sought a youthful female and 44% also looked for traits that indicated physical attractiveness, these figures were almost halved in women and indicates a difference in preferences. Women were found to advertise themselves as attractive whereas men highlighted their economic status. The concept that men look for young, fertile mates can also be seen in homosexual relationships, Kenrick et al (1995) analysed 783 singles adverts in New York magazines and found that like heterosexual men the homosexual men were happy for a partner to be over or under five years of their own…show more content…
Moreover as both heterosexual and homosexual men age they tend to look for younger partners and concentrate on physical attractiveness rather than financial status. Waynforth and Dunbar's research aswell as Kenrick et al's are subject to a lack of generalisability as this type of self-advertisement is typically western and both pieces of research were done either on small sample sizes or to a restricted areas such as New York. The psychical attractiveness of potential partners can indicate healthy genes that can be passed on the next generation, in short-term relationships males 'lower their standards' in terms of physical attractiveness as a way of having a larger selection of females to have short-term relations with and then males show a decreased level of attraction to females which allows them to move on and continue to spread their genes. The notion short-term relationships only benefit males is an effect of gender bias as Greiling and Buss suggest that females also profit as they can switch easily to a more suitable and successful mate. Waynforth (2005) found that in short-term relationships males with prominent masculine features such as a squared jaw and symmetrical faces were preferred as symmetrical faces can indicate a strong immune system and therefore healthy genes, asymmetrical facial features can indicate abnormal genes and therefore are less desirable in short-term
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