Mate choice turns cognitive

被引:218
作者
Miller, GF
Todd, PM
机构
[1] UCL, Ctr Econ Learning Social Evolut, London WC13 6BT, England
[2] Max Planck Inst Human Dev, Ctr Adapt Behav Cognit, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
关键词
D O I
10.1016/S1364-6613(98)01169-3
中图分类号
B84 [心理学]; C [社会科学总论]; Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 030303 ; 04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Evolutionary psychology has revolutionized research on human mate choice and Sexual attraction in recent years, combining a rigorous Darwinian framework based On sexual selection theory with a loosely cognitivist orientation: to task analysis and mechanism modelling. This hard Darwinian, soft computational approach. has been most successful at revealing the adaptive logic behind physical beauty, demonstrating that many:sexual cues computed from face and body shape are not arbitrary, but function as reliable indicators of phenotypic and genetic quality. The same approach could be extended from physical to psychological cues if evolutionary psychology built stronger ties with personality psychology, psychometrics and behavioral genetics. A major challenge for mate choice research is to develop more explicit computational models at three levels, specifying: (1) the perceptual adaptations that register sexual cues given sensory: input, (2) the judgment adaptations that integrate multiple cues into assessments of overall attractiveness, and (3) the search strategies that people follow in trying:to form mutually attracted pairs. We describe both recent efforts and possible extensions in these directions. The resulting confluence between evolutionary principles cognitive models and game-theoretic insights can put mate choice research at the vanguard of an. emerging 'evolutionary cognitive science' more concerned With domain-specific mental, adaptations than with domain-general intelligence.
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页码:190 / 198
页数:9
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