title: Pilot study of relationship between fertility risk and bargaining.
abstract: Competition for resources to support a healthy pregnancy and later offspring was likely very important for ancestral women. Therefore, it was predicted that women evolved a propensity for intrasexual competition over resources during times of their highest conception risk. To investigate this hypothesis, women played a series of ultimatum games, bargaining games that test participants' willingness to share a monetary stake. During periods of high conception risk, intrasexual competition increased as evidenced by lower offers to share a stake with others as well as higher rates of rejection of offers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA. mlucas@wellesley.edu
authors.forename: Margery M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Elissa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koff
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skeath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012919:Social Behavior; D012928:Social Desirability; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires