Sex & Relationships
08-A: Attraction
Similarity
Do opposites attract?
What kinds of similarities cause attraction?
What is the evidence that people are attracted to others who look like them? Describe the study that shows this.
What are two different explanations for why couples who have been married for a long time tend to be similar?
Culture
What is the evidence that different cultures find different attributes attractive?
How does the sociocultural theory explain attraction?
Social Perception
Why do men constantly think that women are flirting with them, even when they're not?
WATCH: Attraction: Similarity
WATCH: The Science of Attraction
Many different cultures find different things attractive. There are many cultural differences in what is considered attractive or unattractive. Some cultures value light colored skin, some value darker skin. Some cultures value thin and some value large. Certainly clothing styles also change drastically between cultures. Notice some of the differences.
READ: Geography and Beauty
WATCH: Why Men Think Women Are Flirting
08-B: Biology and Attraction
Describe the difference between survival (natural) selection and sexual selection
Describe the two component processes of sexual selection.
Describe the traits that Buss found to be…
Universally desired by both sexes
Desired more by women
Desired more by men
Explain the evidence that males’ preference for age has more to do with fertility than with simply being younger than they are
Describe the evidence that these general preferences exist cross-culturally in
Actual marriages
Personal ads
Behavioral tactics
Explain how Triver’s theory of parental investment predicts attitudes towards casual sex (specifically note the differences in reproductive potential)
Describe the methodology and results of Clarke & Hatfield’s (1989) study and how those results support Triver’s theory
Explain the differences between males and females when it comes to jealousy.
What made men in a relationship jealous?
What made females in a relationship jealous?
What strategies do males and females use to retain their mates in the face of poachers?
How does Triver’s theory of parental investment explain why the females of a species tend to be the more selective in choosing a sexual partner.
State the six general characteristics that, according to sociobiological theory, a female would seek in a marriage partner.
From a biosocial point of view, the fittest survive and reproduce. Survival concerns, more than anything else, obtaining food and avoiding threats (e.g., predators and the environment). As the theory goes, that is the process of natural selection: those with the genes that make them successful at survival are the ones that create the next generation of survivors.
But what determines whether an individual creature will be successful at reproducing? With sexual reproduction, the offspring is comprised of ½ the genetic material of one parent and ½ of the other. It makes sense, then, that creatures would be motivated to find good genes to mix with their own. Thus, certain traits and preferences have evolved via sexual selection: those with the genes that make them successful at attracting a mate are the ones that create the next generation of attractive creatures.
In some cases it makes perfect sense to suggest that the traits that directly signal fitness would also be the ones that are sexually selected. But in other cases, it may seem quite arbitrary, or it might even be that what is sexy actually makes it harder to survive. For a classic example of this, read about the peacock:
READ: Why do male peacocks have such a large colorful tail?
Now read about the sociobiological explanation of why mates choose each other. Most of the learning objectives for this section come from this article:
READ: Human Mating Strategies
08-C: The Science of Sex
Is casual sex unhealthy?
What variable affects whether casual sex is good or bad for someone's well-being?
Do we live in a "hookup culture"? Why do people think that we do?
What is a "normal" or healthy sex drive? Why might people think their sex drive is not normal?
READ: The Science of Sex
08-D: Sexual Orientation
What is sexual orientation?
What percentage of the population identify as LGBTQ+?
What variables are linked with variation in sexual orientation?
What are some myths and misconceptions about sexual orientation? Be able to describe the evidence that we can use to understand the origins and correlates of sexual orientation.
READ: The science behind a more meaningful understanding of sexual orientation
READ: 10 Scientific Facts About Sexual Orientation
READ: Ten Myths About Sexual Orientation, Debunked By Science
08-E: The Need to Belong
What is the Need to Belong? Is it really a need?
What kind of relationships provide belonging?
What is the evidence that humans naturally want belonging?
What happens if you don't have enough belonging?
Before we talk about sex, let's talk about belonging. We all need belonging. We need to feel included and cared about by other people. This need is different from a desire to feel popular or even to be in a large group of people. Instead, it is a need to feel like we really are cared for by small group of people, normally family members and/or friends.
READ: The Need to Belong
08-F: Social Support
What is social support?
What is perceived support?
What is received support?
How are perceived and received support different?
Why is it important to have a social network? How many people can you really know?
What is the evidence that having perceived support, received support, and a social network are important to your health?
Regardless of how much belonging we have, we need people to help us out when we need it. Not only that, we need to believe that people will help us out when we do need it. The help we get from others is called social support. You can get social support from those who provide belonging, but you can get it from other people too. Read the following:
READ: Social Support
08-G: A How-To Guide for Healthy Relationships
What are some bits of knowledge to help people navigate difficult situations in relationships (e.g., long distance, breakups)?
Science of Relationships is a website run by psychologists whose specialities are on attraction, dating, sex, commitment, breakups, etc. They have put together some useful information for college students to better understand their own relationships.
READ: Relationships 101: Having Healthy Relationships in Your First Year of College
08-H: Communication
What is a behavior description? Give an example.
What is an XYZ statement? Give an example.
What is active listening? Why is it important?
What is paraphrasing? Give an example.
What is perception checking? Give an example.
What is Negative Affect Reciprocity (NAR)? Why is it bad for relationships?
What is validation? Why is it important? Give an example.