Required parental investment and mating patterns: a quantitative analysis in the context of evolutionarily stable strategies.
Much social psychological research has been dedicated to understanding mating strategies from the standpoint of genetic-fitness payout (e.g., Simpson and Gangestad, 2000). The current work is designed to provide a coherent, quantitative model for predicting different classes of mating strategies in both males and females. Specifically, the framework developed in this paper is an elaboration of Dawkins' (1989) quantitative assessment of different male and female mating strategies. Dawkins suggests that the prevalence of different strategies employed should be predictable in terms of evolutionary stable strategies. In the current work, a quantitative analysis predicting the prevalence of different mating strategies within each sex was conducted. The mathematical functions derived suggest that variability in the costs associated with raising offspring affects the expected prevalence of mating strategies differently for males and females. According to the present model, variability in female strategies should be less affected by changes in parental investment (PI) than variability in male strategies. Important predictions regarding male and female mating strategies across cultures are discussed.
Geher
Glenn
G
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA. geherg@newpaltz.edu
Derieg
Myles
M
Downey
Heather J
HJ
D005075:Biological Evolution; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003380:Courtship / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016487:Parenting / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011593:Psychology, Social; D043762:Reproductive Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D035503:Sociobiology