Concentrating on beauty: sexual selection and sociospatial memory.
In three experiments, location memory for faces was examined using a computer version of the matching game Concentration. Findings suggested that physical attractiveness led to more efficient matching for female faces but not for male faces. Study 3 revealed this interaction despite allowing participants to initially see, attend to, and match the attractive male faces in the first few turns. Analysis of matching errors suggested that, compared to other targets, attractive women were less confusable with one another. Results are discussed in terms of the different functions that attractiveness serves for men and women.
Becker
D Vaughn
DV
Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus, Department of Applied Psychology, Mesa 85212, USA. vaughn.becker@asu.edu
Kenrick
Douglas T
DT
Guerin
Stephen
S
Maner
Jon K
JK
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention; D001504:Beauty; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003463:Cues; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D011939:Mental Recall; D011582:Psychological Theory; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012928:Social Desirability; D035503:Sociobiology