S. Walters et Cb. Crawford, THE IMPORTANCE OF MATE ATTRACTION FOR INTRASEXUAL COMPETITION IN MEN AND WOMEN, Ethology and sociobiology, 15(1), 1994, pp. 5-30
Buss (1988a), using an evolutionary perspective, tested hypotheses abo
ut intrasexual competition within the context of behavior to attract m
ates. He found sex differences in intrasexual competition predicted by
the goal of mate attraction. We used Buss's methodology while asking
subjects about the acts they performed to compete with members of the
same sex, rather than about acts for attracting potential mates. Compe
titive acts were nominated and placed into 26 tactics in Study 1. Stud
y 2 obtained self-reports of male and female act performance frequency
. Study 3 replicated Study 2 using observer-reports. Study 4 obtained
act effectiveness judgments for men and women. We largely replicated B
uss's results despite the focus on intrasexual competition instead of
mate attraction. Thus, we provide strong evidence for the importance o
f mate attraction in intrasexual competition.