AQA A Level Psychology Relationships Exam Questions and Answers 100% Pass

AQA A Level Psychology Relationships Exam Questions and Answers 100% Pass Outline what sexual selection is - Answer-Sexual Selection is the process of selecting the right mate through competing rivals and engaging in the right behaviours in order for successful conception and child rearing. The evolutionary explanations behind this preference is important as it gives us insight on who will be chosen and who will be excluded. Outline the two ways in which sexual selection operates - Answer-Intrasexual Selection - this involves individuals of one sex (usually male) outcompeting each other in oder to gain access to the other sex. Those who are successful are able to mate and pass on their genes to their offspring Intersexual Selection - this is where members of one sex evolve preferences for specific qualities in potential mates. This causes the members of the opposite sex who have these qualities to have an advantage and more of a choice of who they want to mate with Outline the rationale behind sexual selection including long term mate preferences - Answer-Although on the face of it being choosy about mates wastes time and energy in the long run it is essential. The rationale behind it is that if you are choosy then the genetic quality of your mate will be higher quality which will then pass onto offspring. The offspring will then have characteristics such as healthy and being attractive. Females tend to be attracted to those who are able to invest resources into her and her children, physically protect her and her children and are compatible to show minimal costs to her and her children. Outline a study into partner preference - Answer-Buss conducted a study that involved 10,000 participants from 37 cultures. Asked to rate each of the 18 characteristics on how important they were to them. A four point likert scale was used. They found that the main results were: Resources - it was found that women found this more important than men. Translating into a desire for men with qualities and resources such as ambition and money Physical Attractiveness - men placed more importance on this as it provides a cue to a woman's health and thus fertility Youth - men wanted mates who were younger indicating that they valued increased fertility Intelligence - both sexes wanted this Evaluate the nature of sexual selection - Answer-Buss's study may lack validity. The study looks at what peoples expressed preferences in mates are rather than an actual reflection of what really happens in a real life situation. The statistics gained from his study do not accurately match marriage statistics on factors such as age. However real life studies do provide the same statistics, for example one study done on 29 cultures confirmed that men do in fact go for younger women. Cultural traditions may be as important as evolutionary factors. Gender differences in mate preference may in fact stem from cultural and social traditions rather than evolutionary factors. For example the fact that women desire men with more resources could be due to the fact that women have been denied economical power in many countries in the past and even now. One study found that in those countires where women's status were less they tended to go for men with more resources. Meaning that we should not simply look at evolutionary factors in mate preference. Female preference for high status men may not be universal. One psychologist claims that female preference for high status men is not universal and argues that most studies have been conducting on female undergraduate students. Therefore these women expect to achieve high educational status and thus expect their partner to reflect this. Therefore evidence for females preference for high status men is weak State the factors that affect attraction - Answer-Physical Attractiveness (Matching Hypothesis) Self Disclosure Filter Theory Outline physical attractiveness - Answer-It seems that in the past men have shown more of a preference towards physical attractiveness than women however recent studies suggest that it may be just as important to women as men. However women may rely on physical attractiveness when it comes to a short term thing ie. a one night stand whereas when it came to a long term relationship it was less essential. Outline the matching hypothesis - Answer-The matching hypothesis says that when seeking for romantic partners we look for people who we perceive to be of similar social desirability as ourselves. According to this view the first step is partners assessing their own desirability in the eyes of a potential partner and then select the best candidates who would be most likely attracted to them. Although realistically they would both be attracted to the most desirable candidate by matching with each others social desirability then they are maximising a successful outcome. Outline a study done into the matching hypothesis - Answer-A psychologist advertised a computer dance for students at a university. 177 males and 170 females were randomly selected to take part in the study. When they came to pick up