Life history variables and risk-taking propensity

Wang, Xiao-Tian; Kruger, Daniel J.; Wilke, Andreas

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.09.006

Cited by 184 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Women, on the other hand, were indifferent to contexts involving reproductive opportunities or competitors (in conditions with adult men or women), but were strongly motivated to avoid risk-taking in conditions involving parental investment, with young children (the baby effect). Following previous research (e.g., Baker & Maner, 2008Wang et al, 2009), our findings provide additional evidence that risk-taking is mediated by reproductive context, consistent with the dominant claims of parental investment theory (Trivers, 1972).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Our male participants, on the other hand, may be at the peak age associated with young-male syndrome (as noted by Baker & Maner, 2009), and thus may be differentially inclined to attend to potential male competitors. Males and females who become parents may show different levels of sensitivity to young children, and future research is needed to understand this potential mediator (for one approach, see Wang et al, 2009). Two additional routes to studying these proximate mediators are through the development and direct measurement of psychological states related to parental investment (similar to the measures of arousal used by Baker & Maner, 2008) and through the induction of these states (similar to the imagined scenarios of Nairne, Pandeirada, & Thompson, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elegant efforts to explain these differences from an evolutionary perspective have been remarkably insightful (e.g., Wilson & Daly, 1985;Daly & Wilson, 1994;Baker & Maner, 2008Wang et al, 2009). Following this evolutionary approach, the current paper reports an experiment that extends these previous findings by testing two foundational predictions of parental investment theory (Trivers, 1972), in particular, that females will take fewer risks when in the presence of young children and that males will take more risks when paired with other males (even when these males are potential allies).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The baby effect and young male syndrome: social influences on cooperative risk-taking in women and men

Fischer

Hills

2012

Evolution and Human Behavior

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Parental investment theory predicts differences in risk-taking for females and males as a consequence of reproductive context, with females attempting to reduce risks in relation to their own offspring (here called the baby effect), and males taking more risks in competition with one another (young male syndrome). The experiment we report tests these predictions in a cooperative context by introducing the Social Balloon Analogue Risk Task-the Balloon Analogue Risk Task modified to include a social partner (adult male, adult female, or baby)-along with a commitment device, in which participants choose among several possible social partners, with whom they will share their earnings. Results were consistent with the predictions of parental investment theory. Females did not change their levels of risk-taking when paired with adult males or females, but showed a strong reduction in risk when paired with babies. Consistent with previous research, males were strongly inclined to take more risks when paired with another male of the same age, but males showed no change in risk-taking when paired with a female of the same age or a child. The current work provides the first experimental evidence of gender differences in cooperative social risktaking, as well as the first experimental evidence of a mediator of female risk-taking, i.e., babies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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The baby effect and young male syndrome: social influences on cooperative risk-taking in women and men

Fischer

Hills

2012

Evolution and Human Behavior

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“…Comportamentos de risco ocorrem em diferentes contextos e em diferentes momentos da vida das pessoas (Wang, Kruger, & Wilke, 2009). São considerados comportamentos de risco, por exemplo, as práti-cas sexuais sem preservativos e com muitos parceiros (Falcão Júnior, Lopes, Freitas, Rabelo, Pinheiro, & Ximenes, 2007), a ingestão excessiva de álcool e o uso de outras drogas, se envolver em brigas com amigos ou em agressões físicas ou verbais (Pillon, O'Brien & Piedra, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…Arriscar-se para obter recursos pode ter sido particularmente estratégico considerando ambientes altamente imprevisíveis. Em tais ambientes o comportamento de risco aumentaria as chances de obtenção de recursos no momento em que estão disponíveis (Daly & Wilson, 2001;Wang et al, 2009). O envolvimento de jovens em crimes e a gravidez na adolescência foram abordados sob este aspecto (Daly & Wilson, 2001, Wilson & Daly, 19972006;Wilson, Daly, & Pound, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Efeitos da Imprevisibilidade Familiar e das Diferenças em Função do Sexo Sobre a Propensão ao Risco, Exposição à Violência e o Desconto do Futuro de Jovens Universitários: Uma Abordagem Evolucionista

2016

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RESUMOPartindo da abordagem evolucionista objetivou-se identificar efeitos da imprevisibilidade familiar na infância e das diferenças em função do sexo sobre propensão ao risco, expectativa de futuro e percepção de exposição à violência. Participaram 233 jovens (117 homens, M=18,96 anos). O grupo com maior imprevisibilidade na infância apresentou maior risco de competição e expectativa de vida. Homens apresentaram maiores taxas de propensão ao risco e exposição direta à violência; mulheres maiores taxas de exposição indireta à violência. Concluiu-se que imprevisibilidade familiar e diferenças em função do sexo não apresentaram efeitos lineares sobre as variáveis estudadas, como previsto a partir da abordagem evolucionista. Aponta-se a necessidade de integrar teorias biológicas, psicológicas e sociais e de desenvolver instrumentos adaptados para a população brasileira.Palavras-chave: risco; sexo; imprevisibilidade familiar. ABSTRACT Effects of Family Unpredictability and Sexual Differences on Risk-taking, Violence Exposure and Future Discounting of College Students: An Evolutionary PerspectiveFrom an evolutionary perspective, this study aimed to identify effects of sex differences and childhood family unpredictability on risk-taking, future discounting and perceptions of exposure to violence among young people. Participants were 233 people (117 men, M = 18.96 years). The group with higher childhood family unpredictability presented higher risk of competition and life expectancy. Men presented higher rates of risk-taking and direct exposure to violence; women presented higher rates of indirect exposure to violence. We concluded that family unpredictability and sex differences did not show linear effects on the variables studied, as predicted from the evolutionary approach. The need to integrate biological, psychological and social theories and to develop appropriate instruments for the Brazilian population is emphasized.

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Women's Competition and Aggression

Campbell

2015

The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology

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For female mammals, the rewards of aggression (such as increased rank) rarely outweigh the costs (injury or death). These costs exert a stronger effect on natural selection in females than males because offspring survival depends more strongly on maternal than paternal survival. To support the proposal that greater avoidance of aggression (and other risky activities) by women is mediated by a more reactive fear system, experimental, psychometric, hormonal, and neuroimaging studies are reviewed. Evidence suggests that monogamy, characteristic of the Homo line for over a million years, has resulted from sexual conflict (reproductive advantage accruing to women more than men) rather than sexual selection (within‐sex advantage to men who remained with a single mate). However, monogamy means that women as well as men must compete for the best mates. This competition is usually expressed through intersexual strategies in which women advertise those traits favored by men or through low‐risk indirect forms of within‐sex aggression (e.g., stigmatizing, ostracizing). Ecological factors including age, early menarche, operational sex ratio, extreme variance in male resources, and local cultural norms can decrease the threshold for women's use of direct physical aggression.

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Life history variables and risk-taking propensity

Cited by 184 publications

References 24 publications

The baby effect and young male syndrome: social influences on cooperative risk-taking in women and men

The baby effect and young male syndrome: social influences on cooperative risk-taking in women and men

Efeitos da Imprevisibilidade Familiar e das Diferenças em Função do Sexo Sobre a Propensão ao Risco, Exposição à Violência e o Desconto do Futuro de Jovens Universitários: Uma Abordagem Evolucionista

Women's Competition and Aggression

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