Exam 9: Sexual Selection

One form of sexual selection is known as _____, which is most obvious in male-to-male competition; from this process would evolve characteristics, such as antlers on deer, that would enable one male to dominate another, and thus have the advantage.

The theory of parental investment was advanced by Robert Trivers in 1972. Which of the following is NOT one of the predictions of this theory?

Average faces are rated as more attractive than faces with more extreme characteristics because

The logic of _____ influencing cognitive and emotional processes is straightforward. As with physical characteristics, if an individual would rather mate with someone he or she finds intelligent, funny, and creative, then these characteristics, to the extent they are genetically related, would be passed on to future generations.

According to the sexual strategies theory, there are three properties of short-term mating. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

Singh asked college males to rate female figures in terms of four characteristics: (1) attractive and sexy; (2) healthy; (3) youthful looking; (4) desire and capacity for having children. In general, the .7 _____ was rated highest for all four measures.

Peahens appear to comparison shop until they determine which peacock has the most elaborate tail; according to the _____ theory, this is because characteristics of the plumage are an indicator of disease resistance.

Gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees have thin penises less than three inches long when erect, whereas human male penises are generally more than five inches long. This is not related to _____, which would require larger testicles, as is seen in chimpanzees.

According to the _____ theory, females choose males who possess traits that either enhance her own survival or enhance the survival of the offspring; resources such as food, protection, or care of the young would be examples of such traits.

When female macaques were housed with a single male, mating took place during the mid-cycle period of _____ when the animal was most likely to become pregnant. But if they were housed with multiple males, they solicited sex throughout the follicular phase of the cycle, during which they were less likely to conceive.

Discuss the "market value" of males and females based on age. Explain the findings in terms of sexual strategies theory. Relate this to marriage preferences and actual marriage patterns. Is it simply relative age of males and females that is important, or is there something else?

The second hypothesis of the sexual strategies theory predicts that males will consent to engage in sexual activity in a shorter span than females. Research shows that males, on average, would consent to having sex after knowing a female for about a week; females, on the other hand, would not consent to sex until they had known the partner for about ____.

_____ theory proposes that males and females have different mating preferences depending on the perceived length of the relationship. For long-term relationships, males seek fertile mates, and women seek mates with resources; for short-term relationships, males seek sexual access, and women seek mates with good genes.

Penton-Voak et al. (1999) found that women preferred male faces that were more _____ during the phases of their menstrual cycle in which they were most likely to become pregnant, as compared other phases of their cycle.

Litte et al. (2001) found that women generally prefer more men with more feminine faces, except when they are seeking a

Which one of the following female characteristics is not likely due to sexual selection?

To test the sexual selections strategy, Kenrick and Keefe (1992) asked 17-year-old males to rate the attractiveness of females of various ages; the males selected females 6 years older than them as most attractive, suggesting that

By studying personal ads, Pawlowski and Dunbar (1999) were able to develop a measure of _____ of males and females at various ages; this measure is a selection ratio reflecting advertisers' preference for each age class relative to the number of individuals in that age class.

_____ are chemicals released into the air that have been shown to signal to other members of a species various aspects of sexuality, including when a female is receptive.

According to Susan Hrdy, primate females, including humans, evolved a tendency to seek extragroup mates. Females seek males for extra relationships who are most unlike their own mates genetically, and the extra mating allows for improvement in their offspring. Thus, the females benefit from _____ mating.