PSY351H5- Final Exam Guide - Comprehensive Notes for the exam ( 31 pages long!)
Document Summary
The cougar phenomenon cannot be explained by evolutionary psychology. Evolution by natural selection assumes that an organism will only thrive in their environment if they possess traits that increase reproduction and survival of oneself and one"s offspring. Evolution has shaped gender roles and created a defined mating strategy which has proven to be successful and has led to humans existing as the dominant species. Here is the evidence to support this trend: a 2010 british psychological study published in evolution and human behavior asserted that men and women, in general, continue to follow traditional gender roles when searching for mates. They concluded that the "cougar phenomenon" does not exist, or more precisely, exists but is rare (non-dominant). As women age, their estrogen levels decrease, their fertility declines and this ratio also fades. Men on the other hand wanted more than women things associated with youth and physical appearance and this is because this provided information on how fertile she is.
