Midterm

1
2 15 07

• Midterm 2 on Tuesday
• Same format
• 36 MC (x1 point)
• 8 SA (x3 points)
• Content
• Ch 5 Personality over time
• Ch 6 Genetics and personality
• Ch 7 Physiological approaches
• Ch 8 Evolutionary approaches

2
2 15 07

• Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches to Personality
• 1. Natural selection, sexual selection
• 2. Sex differences in evolutionary pressures
• 3. Sex differences in jealousy
• 4. Sex differences in mate preferences

3
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Giraffes long necks (to eat tall leaves)
• Turtle shell (to prevent predation)
• Toad poison (to prevent predation)
• Birds with just the right beaks (to break seeds,
  eat fish, etc.)
• Human opposable thumbs (to use tools)

4
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• More likely to survive
• More likely to procreate
• Successful adaptations shared by more of species
• Unsuccessful adaptations shared by less

5
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Getting enough sustenance
• Poisonous animals
• Extremes of weather

6
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Why do peacock males have such bright feathers,
  inviting predators?
• Why do male elephant seals fight to the death?

7
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Competition among own sex for mating
  opportunities
• Much more competition among males due to variable
  opportunities
• One sex selecting for attributes of other
• Both prefer attractive individuals (a marker of
  health?)
• Women prefer older men (stability, resources)
• Men prefer younger women (more procreation
  capacity)

8
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Darwins theory
• 1.
• 2.
• What matters is not the individual
• What matters is genes
• Survival of genes rather than survival of
  individual
• an individual is a genes way of reproducing
  itself

9
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Survival a gene more likely to reproduce itself
  if individual (carrier) lives
• Procreation a gene more likely to reproduce
  itself if individual mates
• Helping relatives a gene more likely to
  reproduce itself if individual helps others who
  might share the gene

10
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Stress activates attachment system
• Needs common to us all
• Agency to get ahead
• Communion to get along
• Need to belong

11
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Nothing
• Probably antithetical to evolution approach
• Normative adaptations

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Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• A little on mating strategies
• E.g., big fish defend territory, guard females,
  eggs
• Surer paternity
• But fighting costs
• E.g., little fish hit and run loving
• Less sure of paternity
• But less costs to territorial defense
• Both can be successful, but depends on other
  males strategies

13
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Evolution theory most productive here
• Especially with regard to mating, parenting

14
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Men - lots of sperm
• - doesnt gestate, nurse young
• - no limit to reproduction potential
• - pressures for many partners
• Women - limited of eggs
• - gestation nursing of young
• - limit to reproduction potential
• - pressures for responsible partners

15
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Sex differences in evolutionary pressures
• Worst outcome raising another mans child
• Worst outcome father abandons her, child

16
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Aversive state involving physiological arousal,
  negative affect
• Undermines trust
• Motivates vigilance
• is that lipstick on your collar?
• where were you last night?
• you better pay more attention to me
• if you dont shape up, this relationship is
  over

17
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• For men,
• Less likely to be cuckolded
• More likely to be raising own children (as
  opposed to another mans)
• Thus, more likely to further ones own genes

18
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• For women,
• Those with higher emotional jealousy
• More likely to catch incipient affections for
  other woman
• More likely to keep paternal investment
• Thus, more likely to further ones own genes

19
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Hypothesis (Buss et al, 1992)
• Study 1
• Think of committed, intimate relationship in
  past, present, or (potentially) future
• Which bugs you more, thoughts of sexual
  infidelity or emotional infidelity?

20
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Study 1 (Buss et al, 1992)
• Imagine partner enjoying passionate sexual
  intercourse with another
• Imagine partner trying different sexual positions
  with another
• Imagine partner forming deep emotional attachment
  to another
• Imagine partner falling in love with another
  person

21
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Study 1 (Buss et al, 1992)
• sexual emotional
• Men
• Women

22
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Study 2 (Buss et al., 1992)
• - skin conductance activity (electrodermal
  activity)
• Reflects emotional arousal
• When situation causes distress, reflects
  intensity of that distress
• -

23
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Study 2 (Buss et al., 1992)
• - hooked up
• - imagine finding out that your partner if having
  sexual intercourse with another
• - imagine finding out that your partner is
  falling in love with another

24
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Do sexes differ in criteria of desirable mate?
• Do they differ in preference for short-term
  mating opportunities?
• Are such differences consistent with evolutionary
  pressures?

25
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• 1.
• Because parenting is costly
• Because dont need as many partners
• Because seeking mate who will help in parenting
• A long-term mating strategy quality, not
  quantity
• 2.
• Because sheer number of conquests matters
• Because others also seeking multiple
  opportunities
• Because this produces wide divergence in mating
  success
• A short-term mating strategy quantity, not
  quality

26
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Female invests more in child care
• Thus, female is more choosy
• Thus, males compete more for mating opportunities
• Thus, females will seek quality, not quantity, in
  mating
• Thus, males will seek quantity, not quality, in
  mating

27
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Child grows in her for 9 months have to parent
  during this time
• Woman lactates young
• Women can have fewer children (thus more
  investment in each)
• 12 upper limit on number

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Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• 148 college students
• Are you currently seeking 1-night stands,
  short-term affairs?
• Are you currently seeking a long-term
  relationship?
• Prediction men women in seeking short-term
  opportunities

29
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
men
Extent of seeking
women
Short-term Long-term
30
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Men Quantity matters
• Women quality, not quantity
• of desired partners in next month, 6 months,
  year,lifetime

31
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
20
men
desired partners
10
women
Next month..life
32
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Men whats taking so long?
• Women lets get to know each other better
• Sex earlier in relationship consistent with
  short-term strategy

33
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
yes
men
Want sex
1 week
6 mos.
women
no
5 years.1 mos1 hour
34
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Clark Hatfield (1989)
• Attractive man or woman ask subject
• (a) date? (b) my place tonight? (c ) sex tonight?
• Women 50, 6, 0
• Men 50, 69, 75

35
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Frequent and casual sex
• enjoy casual sex
• OK to have sex early in relationship
• think about sex more than once a day

36
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Would you rather have (a) great sex or (b) a
  shopping bargain?
• bargain sex
• Men
• Women

37
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Yes, this is one strategy to successful
  procreation
• The favored strategy for women
• A strategy for men

38
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Womens reproductive potential is capped by age
• Thus, seek younger women
• Physical attractiveness as a marker of fertility
• Thus, seek physically attractive women

39
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• mens reproductive potential is not capped by age
• Thus, no necessary preference for younger
• Physical attractiveness as less of a marker of
  fertility for males
• Thus, less important for females
• Need financial resources to raise family
• Thus, seek men who are wealthy or have potential
  earning power

40
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
Men left Women right
indispensible
Bulgaria Nigeria Indonesia W. Germany
USA
41
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
6 years
Older than self
Left men right women
Younger than self
Zambia Columbia Poland Italy
USA
7 yrs.
42
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches
indispensible
Japan Zambia
Yugoslavia Australia USA
43
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Higher desire
• Lower standards for short-term
• Men physical attractiveness, youth
• Women ambition, wage-earning potential

44
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Parental investment theory not sex per se, but
  who does the parenting
• Males of species do more parenting
• Females are bigger than males (to compete for
  sexual opportunities)
• Males are more choosy about sex (who, when, how)
• So parental investment theory supported

45
Ch 8 Evolutionary Approaches

• Lives only in Antarctic (burr!)
• Fat males prized by females
• Why?
• Sits on young for entire winter
• While mom takes off
• Females fight over the fat ones!

46
Good Dads

• Emperor Penguin (sexy fat one)