AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED

AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED Terms in this set (32) Outline what sexual selection is 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 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 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 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 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 Physical Attractiveness (Matching Hypothesis) Self Disclosure Filter Theory Outline physical attractiveness 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 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 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 there tickets four confederates were rating each of them on physical attractiveness. Participants were then asked to complete a questionnaire to asses personality, intelligence etc. they were told these questionnaires would match them to the best possible partner whereas in reality they were matched randomly. Six months after the dance they were asked to complete a follow up questionnaire about their partner. They found that the study did not provide evidence for the matching hypothesis and regardless of their own physical attractiveness participants acted more positively towards attractive partners. Evaluate physical attractiveness as an explanation for partner preference A study was conducted that found contradictory results to the traditional views that men are attracted to physical characteristics and women to resources. Evidence was taken from a speed dating scenario along with a follow up study 30 days later. Prior to the dating the traditional values were found when conducting interviews however results from the study found no correlation between the two. Complex matching explains why research tends to fail to provide evidence for the matching hypothesis in terms of physical attractiveness. Physical attractiveness is just one aspect of what a person can bring to the table and therefore a person may compensate for a lack of physical attractiveness through aspects such as personality and kindness. It allows people to attract others who are more physically attractive than themselves. There is evidence to support the importance of sex differences in physical attraction. Research was done into married couples and found that objective ratings of wives attractiveness were positively correlated to their satisfaction in the relationship at the first four years of the relationship. In contrast objective ratings of husbands physical attractiveness were not correlated to satisfaction. Outline self disclosure as an explanation for attraction Self disclosure refers to the voluntary sharing of private aspects of ones life with another person. It is an important process in the development of a romantic relationship as with greater disclosure leads to greater feeling of intimacy. Research into self disclosure has found that the level of self disclosure received was a better predictor of loving than self disclosure given. It also found that self disclosure was related to stability in relationships. 50 relationships were assessed and found that overall disclosure was a predictor for whether couples stayed together for longer than 4 years. This relationship is not completely straight forward as self disclosure can take may forms for example disclosing ones taste in music and disclosing ones inner fears are very different and this plays a key role. Disclosure of more personal experiences have more of a greater influence than neutral self disclosures. There are also many norms for self disclosure as for example there is a norm that people should engage in a moderately personal level of self disclosure at the start of a relationship. Research has shown that disclosure at the start should not be so general that the person has learnt nothing more about the person who is disclosing but it also should not be so personal that it seems they disclose it to everyone.