Mate Selection Process Research Articles

Reproductive ethogram and mate selection in captive wild Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis)

Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) have a high potential for aquaculture that is hampered by reproductive behavioural problems. These problems result in limited breeder participation in spawning. The present study provided an ethogram and described mate selection and spawning of captive wild Senegalese sole. Two tanks of breeders were studied that had 29 and 25 breeders (mean weight = 1.6 ± 0.1 kg). The behaviour was studied during 20 periods of 24 hours: 10 periods where spawning events were recorded and 10 control periods without spawning events. Periods where spawning occurred had three times more locomotor activity than periods without spawning. Two distinct behaviours, termed the “following” behaviour and the “coupled swim”, were only observed during periods with spawning. The courtship sequence (n=12) began with males predominantly involved in “following” behaviours, whilst females remained mainly stationary on the bottom of the tank. Males rested on the females and encouraged the females to begin swimming. When the female began to swim the male swam under the female and the pair made a “coupled swim” to the surface to release gametes. Gamete release was strictly in pairs of one male with one female. Failed “coupled swims” without gamete release were 5.6 times more frequent than successful “coupled swims”. Mate selection was evident as the sole engaged in: paired spawning, males displayed to females, males encouraged females to spawn and females accepted or rejected the male’s advances. The mate selection process provided the opportunity for fish to dominate the spawning and also demonstrated how fish were excluded from spawning.

Gender Abuse in Intimate Relationships: From Structural Coupling Theory to Emergence of Couple System

Is love predictable in its choices? Linear Determinism, Randomness or Complexity? By applying theoretical coordinates of current sociological interpretations of intimacy and conceptual categories of New General System Theory, the paper reflects on one-factor and linear determinism implicitly underlying mate selection processes in Structural Coupling Theory and its implications for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Assuming personality structure as the predictor of partner choice as well as victimization risk, SCT circumscribes victimization risk just to one category of women (insecure/avoidant women coupling with ambivalent partners). We propose that adaptive complex system and non-banal machine concepts are more effective to understand the mate selection process than linear deterministic approach, which appears too mechanistic for a process that exhibits an inextricable dimension of uncertainty and unpredictability. Research results on a sample of 100 victims of IPV do not corroborate the linear one-factor determinism underlying Structural Coupling Theory neither its implications. Rather they go in the direction of Complexity.

Demographic Opportunity and the Mate Selection Process in India

We merged individual-level data from the 2004-2005 India Human Development Survey with district-level data derived from the 1991 and 2001 Indian population censuses to examine how the numerical supply of men to which married women were exposed during late adolescence is associated with women's agency in the mate selection process and the duration of courtships. Multilevel models that control for an array of both individual and contextual factors showed that exposure to a relative surplus of potential mates is associated with a higher likelihood that women will have little or no say in the selection of their husband and an increased probability that women will meet their husband for the first time on their wedding day. Women's educational attainment, birth cohort, religion, caste, and region of residence also emerged as significant correlates of women's marital agency and courtship duration. The implications of these findings for India's growing sex ratio imbalance are discussed.

Single Singaporeans and their Hesitation to use Commercial Matchmaking Services

The rising proportion of singles in several East and South-east Asian countries and the related concerns of low fertility have resulted in policy makers in the region introducing state sponsored matchmaking services to help singles enter the nuptial phase. In this paper, the case of Singapore is discussed with particular reference to the hesitation of singles to use such marriage intermediaries. Using a qualitative approach involving 83 single Singaporeans of different ethnic and social backgrounds, the aversion to commodification in the mate selection process, the lack of authenticity and spontaneity that ensues from finding matches through commercial services, and the concern that agencies do not provide quality singles are identified as potential barriers to the use of matchmaking services. Possibly the early involvement of the state in promoting such matchmaking services is being resisted by singles who are averse to subjugating their freedom to pursue the spontaneity of romantic love for the pragmatism of matchmaking.

Understanding The Role of Mate Selection Processes in Couples' Pair-Bonding Behavior.

Couples are similar in their pair-bonding behavior, yet the reasons for this similarity are often unclear. A common explanation is phenotypic assortment, whereby individuals select partners with similar heritable characteristics. Alternatively, social homogamy, whereby individuals passively select partners with similar characteristic due to shared social backgrounds, is rarely considered. We examined whether phenotypic assortment and/or social homogamy can contribute to mate similarity using a twin-partner design. The sample came from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden, which included 876 male and female monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins plus their married or cohabitating partners. Results showed that variance in pair-bonding behavior was attributable to genetic and nonshared environmental factors. Furthermore, phenotypic assortment accounted for couple similarity in pair-bonding behavior. This suggests that individuals' genetically based characteristics are involved in their selection of mates with similar pair-bonding behavior.

Nutrition-dependent phenotypes affect sexual selection in a ladybird.

Environmental factors play a crucial role in influencing sexual selection in insects and the evolution of their mating systems. Although it has been reported that sexual selection in insects may change in response to varying environments, the reason for these changes remains poorly understood. Here, we focus on the mate selection process of a ladybird, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, when experiencing low- and high-nutrition diet regimes both in its larval and adult stages. We found that female ladybirds preferred to mate with males reared under high-nutrition diet regimes, regardless of the nutritional conditions they experienced during their own larval stages, indicating that mate choice of female C. montrouzieri is non-random and phenotype-dependent. Such mate choice may depend on visual cues (body or genitalia size) and/or chemical cues (pheromones). Further, females from high-nutrition larval diet regimes produced more eggs than those from low-nutrition larval diet regimes. In addition, diet regimes during adulthood also exerted strong effects on egg production. In summary, our study provides new insight into the mate choice of C. montrouzieri as affected by seasonal changes in resources, and suggests that food availability may be a driving force in mate choice.

Beyond “Pink It and Shrink It” Perceived Product Gender, Aesthetics, and Product Evaluation

Marketing research on product personality suggests that products possess gender; however, the process by which a product becomes masculine or feminine is unknown. This research identifies product aesthetics as a source of product masculinity and femininity and investigates the influence of product gender created by aesthetics on consumer behavior. Building on prior work on anthropomorphism and evolutionary psychology (EP), the authors broadly hypothesize that specific physical characteristics identified as representing masculinity and femininity—and thus considered attractive in the mate selection process—will have a similar effect on products. The first study identifies the impact of the aesthetic dimensions of form (proportion, shape, and lines), color (tones, contrast, and reflection), and material (texture, surface, and weight) on defining a product's gender. The second study shows that products that are strongly gendered, particularly those that are strong in both the masculine and feminine dimensions, result in positive affective and behavioral responses. Thus, this research identifies product aesthetics as a significant source of product gender while highlighting the theoretical contribution of EP to consumer behavior. Managerial implications for product design are then discussed, offering guidelines for creating strongly gendered products.

Whose Marriage is this? - Mate Selection Patterns in Modern Orthodox Society in Israel: A Dialogue between Two Cultural Systems

In modern societies, mate selection process has received extensive attention in the theoretical and research literature. Researchers were primarily concentrated in identifying the parameters that motivate and influence the choice of partner, as similarity, mutual benefits, and aspects. Little attention, however, was given to the social and cultural context under which the selection process takes place. The present study attempted to explore this process among Modern Orthodox couples in Israel, as they combine two simultaneous cultural systems ; modern and traditional. 36 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with couples during their first year of marriage . The analysis revealed several mate selection styles, which were classified into two main groups: the cognitive selectors and the emotional selectors. Both groups relate to their social context as a main factor in their selection process and outcome. The study findings throw light on the cultural complexity and duality of parallel value systems.

Social Comparisons on Self-Perception and Mate Preferences: The Self and the Others

This study aimed to investigate the effect of social comparison on self-perception and mate preferences. For this purpose, 225 undergraduate student participants provided their self-perception before and after evaluating descriptions of stimuli subjects specifically developed with high or low levels of physical, social and status related attributes. Participants also provided a description of their ideal short- and long-term partner. We hypothesized that self-evaluations and mate preferences change in response to exposure to competitors with different levels of reproductively relevant attributes. Results indicated that individuals were aware of the characteristics valued by the opposite-gender in the mating market and that self-evaluation was affected by the attributes of other people. No effect of social comparison on mate preferences was observed. These findings advance our understanding of the mate selection process by contributing more evidence that one’s own perceptions of mate value seem to be affected by the values of other individuals. Attention to the reproductively relevant attributes of others can help individuals optimize the time and energy invested in mate selection and determine the mating tactic most appropriate to a specific social environment.

Who Marries Whom? Changing Mate Selection Preferences in Urban India and Emerging Implications on Social Institutions

Marriages in India, since the early period, are mostly characterized by family-arranged marriages where parents and family members take a prime responsibility in overall mate-selection process. Modern education has brought greater access to economic resources as well as media exposure among men and women of the present generation. These have also been found as contributing factors to late marriages, diminishing role of parents in mate selection, increased prevalence of self-selected marriages and greater space for personal choices in mate-selection process in most parts of the developed world. Evidence that has explored whether such choices are emerging in the societies traditionally characterized by family-arranged marriages and what are the implications of ongoing changes in mate-selection process on the present marriage market and on other social institutions are limited. Drawing on data from 544 married and unmarried young men and women and their parents from a traditional Indian society, we explore the ongoing changes in mate-selection preferences and its implication on various social institutions. Findings suggest that there is a growing evidence of valuing the economic potential, trustworthiness, equal temperament, physical look, and intelligence of the prospective partner among men and women of the present generation. The emergence of specific preferences also possesses great implication on the other social institutions because of increased divorced, increase in self-selected marriages, and delayed child bearing if the choices of men and women were not considered at the time of marriage.

Face Color and Sexual Attractiveness

Skin color is one of the first features that we notice in another person and, therefore, it plays a significant role in the mate selection process as well as in the assessments of attractiveness of others. However, almost all modern research showing a preference for lighter skin tone (particularly in women) was conducted within populations of relatively light skin color. The current study was conducted among the Yali people, who are dark-skinned and native to the isolated highlands of West Papua. We found that for both males ( n = 53) and females ( n = 53) preferred skin tone was either average or slightly lighter than the average. At the same time, we found that the male preference for lighter skin tone in females was correlated with contact with other cultures. We discuss our results in the context of social and biological theories explaining skin tone preferences.

Mate Selection in Socially Anxious and Nonanxious Individuals

Evolutionary theorists propose that people's mate value influences the types of mates they select and their estimates of whether potential mates would select them. Social anxiety has the potential to be a characteristic that is associated with low perceived mate value and, therefore, to influence the mate selection process. In the present study, socially anxious (n = 63) and nonanxious (n = 62) participants were presented with a series of photographs and accompanying narrative descriptions of opposite sex individuals representing varying levels of physical attractiveness and social status. They were instructed to rate (a) the likelihood in which they would engage in various relationship and sexual behaviors with similar people, and (b) the likelihood in which similar people would want to engage in these relationship and sexual behaviors with them. Relative to nonanxious participants, socially anxious participants estimated that they would be less likely to initiate these behaviors with physically attracti...

Development of Naheed Anila Index for Mate Assessment (NAIMA)

There is an abundance of research on the mate selection process and a number of scales are available in the West for the purpose of helping couples make good choices. As no such scale is available for Pakistani couples, we developed an index for mate assessment that is uniquely applicable to the Pakistani population. The Naheed Anila Index for Mate Assessment (NAIMA) is an indigenously developed measure consisting of 44 items. The psychometric properties of this index are encouraging, suggesting it may be used as a valid and reliable measure for choosing a prospective spouse in Pakistan and similar cultures. The NAIMA is envisioned as a useful measure in the planning and preparation stage of marriage. It is hoped that by helping young adults better choose a compatible spouse, the index will serve as a preventive measure for marital distress and dissolution.

Using revealed mate preferences to evaluate market force and differential preference explanations for mate selection.

In this article the authors illustrate how revealed preferences (i.e., preferences inferred through an individual's differential attraction to multiple targets) can be used to investigate the nature of mate preferences. The authors describe how revealed preferences can be estimated and how the reliability of these estimates can be established. Revealed preference estimates were used to explore the level of consensus in judgments of who is and is not attractive and whether revealed preferences are systematically related to self-reported mate preferences and personality traits. Revealed preference estimates were created for over 4,000 participants by examining their attraction to 98 photographs. Participants of both genders showed substantial consensus in judgments of whom they found attractive and unattractive, although men showed higher consensus than women. Revealed preference estimates also showed relationships with corresponding self-rated preferences and with other dispositional characteristics such as personality traits and age. Although the findings demonstrate the existence of meaningful individual differences in preferences, they also indicate an important role for consensual preferences in mate selection processes.

Changes in Marital Culture of Korea through Mate Selection Process in Japanese Colonial Era

Changes in Marital Culture of Korea through Mate Selection Process in Japanese Colonial Era

Changes in Mate Selection Process in Korea since 1945

Changes in Mate Selection Process in Korea since 1945

Gender and Ethnic Differences in Marital Assimilation in the Early Twentieth Century

Historical research on intermarriage has overlooked how distinctive patterns of ethnic settlement shape partner choice and assumed that the mate selection process operated the same way for men and women. This study utilizes a sample of young married adults drawn from the 1910 Census IPUMS to examine 1) whether ethnic variation in partner choice was shaped by differences in group concentration and distribution and 2) if factors shaping outmarriage were gendered. About one fifth of young married Americans had spouses of a different ethnic background in 1910, though there was considerable ethnic variation in outmarriage propensities. Barriers to intermarriage fell at different rates, depending upon ethnic group, sex, and region of settlement; they were weakest for first- and second-generation English men. Structural factors such as group size operated differently for men and women; while larger group representation increased men's odds of outmarriage to both native stock and other white ethnic wives, women from the ethnic groups with the largest presence were significantly more likely to wed fellow ethnics than the native stock. Ultimately, even if they resided in the same location, the marriage market operated in different ways for ethnic women and men in search of mates.

Female intrasexual competition decreases female facial attractiveness

Evolutionary theory predicts that female intrasexual competition will occur when males of high genetic quality are considered to be a resource. It is probable that women compete in terms of attractiveness since this is one of the primary criteria used by men when selecting mates. Furthermore, because hormones influence the mate-selection process, they may also mediate competition. One competitive strategy that women use is derogation--any act intended to decrease a rival's perceived value. To investigate intrasexual competition through derogation, the influence of oestrogen on women's ratings of female facial attractiveness was examined. During periods of high oestrogen, competition, and hence derogation, increased, as evidenced by lower ratings of female facial attractiveness. By contrast, oestrogen levels did not significantly affect ratings of male faces. These findings support the theory of female intrasexual competition with respect to attractiveness.

Ethnic differences in preferences for female weight and waist-to-hip ratio: A comparison of African–American and White American college and community samples

This study examined both ethnic differences and differences between college and community samples in male preferences for ideal body size and shape in women. As expected, it was found that African–American men were more likely to choose heavier figures as ideal than White American men did. Contrary to expectations, there were no differences in chosen ideal weight between college and community subsamples. As expected, both ethnic groups chose figures with a low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), but African–American men were more likely to choose a very low WHR as ideal. The findings replicate and extend research showing weight to be a more important cue than WHR in the mate-selection process and support the theory that African–American men's preferences may serve as a protective factor against eating and body image pathology in African–American women.

Sex Differences in the Mate Selection Process Of the Monogamous, Biparental Convict Cichlid, Archocentrus Nigrofasciatum

AbstractCompared to polygynous species, monogamous males and females are considered more similar in their mate choosiness, yet few studies have explored the mate selection process between the sexes. Here, we examined this mate selection process in the monogamous convict cichlid, Archocentrus nigrofasciatus. We presented an individual (i.e. the selector) of each sex with a choice of two alternative, visually and tactilely isolated, mates. Tanks were video taped each day until the selector fish spawned with one of the potential mates (i.e. the accepted mate). The number of visits, length of visits, and courtship interactions were recorded. Selecting females spent significantly more time with accepted versus rejected males (i.e. females expressed a time-based preference for their chosen males), but there was no significant difference in the number of visits made to either male. Selecting females did not court accepted and rejected males differently, but rejected males courted at a significantly higher rate than did accepted males. Although selecting females expressed a time-based preference for accepted males, they continued to visit and court rejected males throughout the mate choice process; thus females did not terminate their selection process until they spawned. In contrast to selecting females, selecting males did not spend a significantly different amount of time with accepted and rejected females while visiting both females equally. Furthermore, selecting males courted accepted females significantly more than they courted rejected females. Thus, males expressed their mate preferences through courtship whereas females expressed them through time spent. Males also courted more than females. Many of these sex differences curiously resemble those of a polygynous social system, which we suggest perhaps indicates polygynous ancestral origins.