SPERM DONOR SELECTION AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEMALE MATE CHOICE

Women's preferences for hypothetical sperm donors were compared to pre ferences for long-term mates (Experiment 1) and to those for long-term mates and extra-pair copulatory (EPC) partners (Experiment 2). In Exp eriment 1, attributes believed likely to affect a resultant child were significantly more important in a donor than in a long-term mate. ''C haracter,'' which was the most important factor in a mate, was the sec ond most important factor after ''health'' in a donor, despite the bel ief that character had little likelihood of affecting a resultant chil d. These results suggest that women were partly relying on the psychol ogy used to choose a long-term mate when they assessed attributes in a sperm donor. An additional construct (''resource potential'') was int roduced in Experiment 2, as well as an additional test condition (EPC) . As with character, resource potential was believed to have little li kelihood of affecting a resultant child, yet it was rated as moderatel y important to have in a donor, further supporting the hypothesis that women were partly relying on a mate choice psychology. Results did no t provide support for the existence of an EPC psychology distinct from that used to select a long-term mate.