Mating choice and Lonely Hearts Columns Essay Example

Mating choice and Lonely Hearts Columns Paper Darwins evolutionary theory stated that all species picked partners who possessed certain characteristics which would offer their offspring a better chance of survival Survival of the fittest.I wanted to see whether both genders offered/requested certain characteristics more or less than the other.I visited a website orientated around dating (mate choices) and accumulated data based upon those who had posted their add on the site.The independent variable was the gender of the person, where as the dependant variable was the number of terms they used in relation to personal appearance, financial resources and age.The results acquired were categorised accordingly in a table, in which I found out that;; Women tended to seek stability in the form of financial resources more than men, where as men tended to offer it more than their female counterparts.; Males tended to seek those who possessed a high level of physical attractiveness more than females. Where as females tended to offer it m ore than males.; Age was a very complex factor with both cases, as those who were young sought those who were older and vice versa. But those who were middle aged tended to seek those who were of their age group.In present day its more of being able to live with someone who can make you happy and give you and your sprouts a good chance in life.TERMINOLOGYLonely-Hearts Column relating to people who are looking for companions or marriage partnersFinancial Resources money/wealthPersonal Appearance physical attributesQuota sampling before the sample is selected the population is divided into appropriate categories from which the sample is selected. Usually with an equal number in each category.Google large search engine on the webBACKGROUNDCharles Darwins theory of evolution presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic descent with modification. That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organisms genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival a process known as natural selection. These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation.My hypotheses were based upon the Darwinian theory of Evolution (although many other people had thought of it before him.The purpose of this investigation was to test 3 hypotheses, which were orientated around the mate-choices of males and females, which were found in either Lonely Hearts Columns or on the Internet.There were various factors, which could have a profound effect on my results. The first was that of the location of the information in which I acquired my data from. The second was that of the age group and gender of those who either used a particular website or read a particular publication (newspapers, magazines), in which my data was going to be extrapolated.This investigation aimed to shine light upon whether males and females requested and offered similarly, differently, or equally in relation to mating-choices.HYPOTHESISThere were 3 hypotheses in which my investigation intended to explore. These were: Females request financial resources more than males, where as males offer it more than females. Females offer characteristics relating to Personal Appearance more than males, where as males tend to request it more than females. Females tend to request partners older than themselves, where as males tend to request partners younger than themselves.In relation to my hypotheses, my Null hypotheses were that: There will be no significant difference between the ways in which males and females present and request certain characteristics in regards to lonely-hearts columns.What I intended to measure specifically was the amount of terms relating to financial resources, personal appearance and age in which the two genders used (whilst requesting and offering).METHODThis was a research-based study, which consisted of obtainin g information on those who advertise themselves on the internet (www.dateclub.com).The population, from which my sample was drawn from, was simply all those who used dateclub.com to advertise themselves and search for partners.I used a Quota sampling method in order to obtain my sample, which consisted of 20 males and 20 females of all ages.In relation to allocation to conditions, I divided my sample into 2 (males and females) and then issued corresponding marks in relevant categories according to the number of terminologies used by my sample in relation to personal appearance, financial resources and age.I used Google on the Internet to find a site, which was widely used by both genders (ensuring that I had enough samples for my investigation) in order to sell themselves and also find a perfect match. Once one was found I went into 20 males and 20 female profiles and recorded their data. Which were immediately placed into my table.In order to maintain a high level of control, I mad e sure that all my data was acquired from the same site, on the same day and at the same time. All those who used the site had to be between 18 and 60. So the range of ages was also controlled.The independent variable was the gender of the person, where as the dependant variable was the number of terms they used in relation to personal appearance, financial resources and age.The reasons for my particular choice of methodology were that those who were in search of a mate would be either hard to find or very reluctant to be interviewed by myself. Due to the fact that many would find having to rely on an advertisement in order to find a partner embarrassing. Questionnaires also wouldnt work due to demand characteristics, so the only option which seemed viable, was that of undertaking my own personal research into lonely-hearts columns, which were very easy to find.Adds on the site are constantly added as well as removed, so being unable to know when this occurs, someone else carrying o ut this investigation may acquire results slightly different from that of my own, due to the currency of the data. So this factor could have an effect on the reliability of my data. Which also go for the ads found in newspapers.I chose to measure the data through the allocation of numbers (corresponding to number of terms used) into relevant cells in a table.During my investigation no ethical issues emerged. If there were going to be any it would be that of an invasion of privacy, but due to the fact that people post their traits on the site in order for others to view, the nature of my investigation is ethical.RESULTSTotalsGenderMalesFemalesTotal No of terms relating to Personal Appearance (sought)2617Total No of terms relating to Personal Appearance (offered)3353Total No of terms relating to Financial Resources (sought)38Total No of terms relating to Financial Resources (offered)205Average Difference between Lowest Age range requested and requesters age(31/9) = 3.4(52/17) = 3.1Ave rage Difference between Highest Age range requested and requesters age(37/9) = 4.1(45/17) = 2.6In relation to Personal Appearance, males ask for characteristics relating to it more than females. But on the other hand females offer it far more than males.In relation to Financial Resources, there wasnt a significant difference between the two genders when it came to being sought, although females predominated slightly. But when it came to offering, males did so 75% more than females.In relation to Age, there was hardly any difference with the average lowest age range requested by both genders. However with the average highest age range requested males tended to request much older partners than females.At a young age both genders tend to seek those who are physically appealing. But the older they become the more they tend to disregard personal appearance.Some people requested those who were within an age range, which was younger than theirs.the differences between the highest and lowes t age ranges requested and the requesters age had to be averaged out, due to the fact that a lot of people didnt request anyone within a certain age group. Therefore the table which had the most people requesting someone within a certain age range would most likely have a larger total than the other. So in order to make this a fair test and maintain a high level of control, I decided to average out the differences.(Total of all the differences divided by the number people who requested).As the age ranges seemed to cause the most problems when it came to totalling, it could be said that this is where my methodological flaw lay. As if I knew this would have happened then I would have used a stratified sample to select only those who wanted someone between a certain age range, but at the same time have equal amounts of each gender.The hypothesis, which was orientated around financial resources and personal appearance, conquered with my results. But that of age didnt, thus supporting my null hypothesis. I think this was because for both genders, those who were younger tended to seek those who were older and vice versa. Where as those who were in-between tended to seek those around their own age group, further proving that trends always change over timer.One issue that kept on emerging throughout was that of the results being correlation based rather than that of causality. As in if it was to be a correlation then for example females seeking financial resources more than males wouldnt seem plausible.References and Appendiceswww.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com