SEXUAL ATTRACTIVENESS - SEX-DIFFERENCES IN ASSESSMENT AND CRITERIA

Two studies of university undergraduates used novel measures to explor e sex differences and intrasexual variation in mate preferences and se xual behavior. Study 1 used photographs of models to assess the effect s of sex of subject and target persons' ambition/income on judgments o f dating, sexual, and marital desirability, and analyzed these effects ' associations with subjects' sexual attitudes and behavior (Simpson's and Gangestad's Sociosexual Orientation Inventory [SOI]). Results wer e consistent with the proposed model of mate selection: for men, poten tial partners' physical attributes establish a pool of coitally accept able partners, some of whom may merit long-term investment. When women choose partners, nonphysical characteristics such as ambition, status , and dominance establish a pool of partners who are potentially accep table for sexual relations and higher-investment relationships. Target persons' ambition/income strongly affected women's, but not men's, re ported willingness to date and have sex with target persons, and the e ffects on women were not associated with their SOI scores. Study 2 use d photographs of models in bathing suits to explore sex differences in the capacity to determine coital acceptability by means of a visual s can, what types of information men and women need in addition to a vis ual scan in order to determine coital acceptability, and whether these variables are associated with subjects' SOI scores. Results were cons istent with the hypotheses. Women with high SOI scores require fewer s igns of male willingness to invest in order to engage in sexual relati ons than do women with low scores. Nevertheless, the two groups have e ssentially the same perceptual filters and criteria in mate selection, and these differ dramatically from those of men. A ''Tradeoff-thresho ld'' model of mate evaluation is described, and its compatibility with Singh's models is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.