PSY 3666 Exam 1

UMN Spring 2025 PSY 3666 Exam 1 with Magdelena March. Lectures Cultural Considerations, A Brief Overview of Sexology, Evolution of Sex, Sexual Selection, Mate Choice and Assortative Mating, Assortative Mating, Sexual Anatomy, Chromosomal Disorders and Sexual Response, Sexual Response, Sexual Dysfunction, Attraction and Arousal, Love and Relationships.

What are the similarities between the religions mentioned in class with regard to human sexuality?

• A desire to control sexuality

• Sex is power, it was risky,

• Sexuality positioned in marriage

• From a biological standpoint, this makes paternity certain. 

• Contrary to popular belief, many religions believe in pleasurable sex, just within marriage

• Personal restraint in sex

• Rules against adultery

Why might the similarities between religions and their reviews on sex have occurred?

Sex is power, and pleasurable sex is universally possible.

What is a human universal?

Features of culture, society, language, behavior, and mind that, so far as the record has been examined, are found among all peoples known to ethnography and history.

List human universals.

• Romantic love

• Female partner is younger than male

  • There may be a cognitive reason for this based on cognitive aging between sexes

• Incest prevention

• Magic used to win love

• Rape

• Rape condemned

• Differing sex status

• Sexual attraction

• Sexual attractiveness

• Sexual jealousy

• Sexual modesty

• Sexual regulation

• Sexuality as a focus of interest

What research practice did Kinsey use to reduce shame in his data collection?

He shifted the framing of his question to focus on the last time someone engaged in an activity, rather than having them total up the number of times they’d ever engaged in it.

How do sexual and asexual species differ?

Sexual reproduction involves the combination of genetic material from differing sexes (offering genetic diversity) while asexual reproduction involves creation of an offspring based on their own DNA and does not require fusion of gametes.

What is the cost of males?

If each gestating member of the sexually reproducing population has two children the population is only held stable, instead of doubling in asexual reproduction.

Why do asexual species die out?

They do not have the genetic diversity to withstand mutations.

Why is sexual reproduction important from an evolutionary standpoint?

The process of meiosis or recombination of genes in sexual organisms decreases the mutational load, and also weed out individuals with high mutational load.

What is the Fisher Muller hypothesis?

Proposes that the advantage of sex is the rapid shuffling together of beneficial mutations so that they can be carried together to high frequency by natural selection

What is Mullers ratchet?

Muller’s Ratchet is the process by which asexual reproductions accumulate harmful mutations over time, leading to an irreversible decline in genetic fitness due to the lack of recombination

What is the Red Queen hypothesis?

Species must constantly adapt and evolve not just for reproductive advantage but also to survive against ever-evolving opposing organisms, such as predators, parasites, and competitors, in a dynamic environment. If a parasite attacks a species, it will have a hard time wiping it all out because of genetic diversity

What is anisogamy?

Sexual reproduction by the fusion of dissimilarly sized gametes.

Why is it important for the evolution of two sexes?

Females have large nutrient rich gametes that cannot move, males have tiny gametes that can move a lot. Females choose mates, males try to make themselves available to as many females as possible.

What are the pros of small gametes?

• Can travel far

• Can have a lot of them

• Can fertilize a lot more

• Do not need many nutrients

What are the cons of small gametes?

• Not strong against mutations

• A lot of competition

• Carry little to no nutrients

What are the pros of large gametes?

• Have a lot of nutrients, greater support and success of zygotes

• High demand

• More protected against mutations

What are the cons of large gametes?

• Can't move

• Less of them

• Costly to produce

• Takes a lot of resources during and after gestation

Why do midsize gametes not work?

Best of both worlds. Mid-sized gametes are hard to move, do not have enough nutrients, and are not valuable enough/numerous enough to be effective

How does gamete size impact differing sexual strategies?

Females select mates for their high value gametes, males compete and try to fertilize as many large gametes as possible.

What is sexual selection?

A mode of natural selection in which members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex. Originally proposed by Darwin.

What is intrasexual competition?

Competing within the same sex (deer fighting with horns)

What is intersexual competition?

Being attractive to others so that you can be selected.

What is dual selection?

Both sexes choose their mate, not just females choosing

What is sexual dimorphism?

Two sexes of the same species exhibit different characteristics beyond the differences in their sexual organs. These differences can include variations in size, color, shape, structure, and behavior, and are often the result of sexual selection pressures.

How does sexual selection shape the traits individuals have in the population?

More favorable traits will continue to exist as a result of natural selection and mate selection. This is how females have larger breast and butt tissue, and males are taller and stronger on average

Which traits are males most likely to value in a mate?

• Youthfulness

• WHR

• Skin quality and symmetry

Why do males value youthfulness?

It is useful to have this trait to have longevity as a mate and parent.

Why do males value WHR?

This trait may suggest optimal fat and energy for reproduction.

Why do males value skin quality and symmetry?

This trait may suggest good health and genes.

What trait is most valuable in a mate for females?

Symmetry

What is parental investment and why is it important for mate choice?

Any investment by the parent in an individual offspring that increases the offsprings chance of surviving (and hence reproductive success).

What is the grandmother hypothesis?

The grandmother hypothesis posits that natural selection modified females to stay alive after the end of their reproductive years so that they can help their grandchildren (Hawkes et al., 2018).

How is mate choice similar for different sexual orientations and genders?

There maintains the importance of youth and physical attractiveness, though this is not the same for everyone.

Why is monogamy so prevalent in humans?

• Parents invest a lot in their children, and by extension their partners. 

• It is not guaranteed that secondary partners of males will produce offspring, so go with the “sure” thing. 

• Paternity certainty

• Limited resources to share and use to invest.

Why do we also see lots of polyamory in humans?

Evolutionarily, when a mutation occurs and becomes widespread, there can still be leftover old traits

Explain the game theory example in relation to monogamy.

Dawkins (1976) used evolutionary game theory to explain the maintenance of different sexual behaviors. He called his game “the Battle of the Sexes.”

• It employs a quadrant of coy & fast (female phenotypes), and faithful & playboy (male phenotypes).

• In any scenario, we will always return to coy x faithful because it provides best outcomes and other combinations inherently do not last long.

What is assortative mating?

The tendency for people to match with partners who are similar to them on a variety of dimensions.

Which traits do we assortatively mate the most on?

• Height

• Intelligence

• Political Ideology

• Religion

• Education Level

• Socioeconomic Status

• Attractiveness

• Ethnicity/Race

Which traits do we assortatively mate the least on?

• Personality

• Blood Type

• Interests/Hobbies

Describe the anatomy and function of the testes.

Male gonads where spermiogenesis occurs.

Describe the anatomy and function of the scrotum.

Holds the testes and makes sure they are at the correct temperature.

Describe the anatomy and function of the vas deferens.

Connects the seminal vesicles to create the ejaculatory duct.

Describe the anatomy and function of the vagina.

Structure used for intercourse, as well as birth and menstruation.

Describe the anatomy and function of the cervix.

Nose-tip-like structure that connects the vagina and uterus.

Describe the anatomy and function of the ovaries.

This is the female gonad responsible for maturing and outputting eggs.

Describe the anatomy and function of ovarian tubes.

This structure stores eggs for fertilization and sends the embryo to the uterus.

Why has sperm count decreased in recent generations?

The effects of modernization and environmental reasons such as heat, pollution, food additives, including endocrine disruptors.

At about what rate is sperm count decreasing?

About 1.5%/year.

How do endocrine disruptors impact sexual development?

Primary and secondary sexual characteristic development may become delayed. Decreases time to reproduce.

What is sexual differentiation?

The biological process in which people develop their sexual characteristics, driven by genetics, hormonal, and environmental factors.

Which gene is responsible for starting male sexual differentiation>

The SRY gene on the Y chromosome.

What process does the SRY gene cause?

A protein is produced that binds to DNA and alters its properties, which leads to the development of male gonads and the prevention of female reproductive structures.

Which hormones are responsible for sexual differentiation?

• Testosterone

• Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)

• Estrogen

What sex does testosterone primarily impact?

This impacts males, driving genital development.

What sex does Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) primarily impact?

This impacts males, inhibiting female duct development.

What sex does estrogen primarily impact?

This impacts females, supporting secondary sexual characteristics.

What is the genital tubercle?

It is the structure that elongates in males or stays relatively small in females.

What structure does the genital tubercle become in males?

This structure forms the penis.

What structure does the genital tubercle become in females?

This structure forms the clitoris.

What are the urogenital folds?

This is the protective tissue that covers external genitalia.

What structure do the urogenital folds become in females?

This structure forms the labia.

What structure do the urogenital folds become in males?

This structure forms the scrotum.

What is the definition of intersex?

Having physical sex traits that are neither distinctly male nor female.

What are the three main causes of an intersex diagnosis?

• Sex chromosome anomaly

• Hormonal anomaly

• Unclassified