The Effects of Gender and Cost on Suspicion in Initial Courtship Communications

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of gender on suspicion towards claims made during courtship communications. It was hypothesized that participants would be more suspicious of claims made about reproductive relevant traits. To test the hypothesis, participants read a total of eight scenarios describing traits relevant to female reproduction (wealth, commitment, and child interest), traits relevant to male reproduction (physical beauty, youth, and sexual availability), and traits neutral to both genders (stargazing and game playing). After each scenario, participants indicated their suspiciousness about the veracity of the communication on five scales. As predicted, both men and women believed the neutral claim scenarios more than claims about reproductively significant traits. Women compared to men were more suspicious of claims related to wealth, commitment, and child interest, while men compared to women were more suspicious of claims related to physical beauty, youth, and sexual availability. Keywords Courtship communication . Suspicion . GenderDeception is common during human mate selection where both men and women engage in intersexual deceit in an effort to obtain high-quality mates (Dussault, Hojjat, and Boone 2013;Epstein 2007). A common intersexual deceptive strategy is to exaggerate or use false statements to convince prospective mates that they possess traits desired by the opposite sex (Bleske-Rechek and Buss 2006; Gonzaga, Keltner, Londahl, and Smith 2001; Toma and Hancock 2010). Gender Differences in Mate PreferencesEvolutionary psychologists drawing on Trivers' (1972) parental investment theory have specified a number of potential differences between the mate preferences of men and women. Trivers (1972) noted that biological differences between men and women (e.g., differences in reproductive capacity, energy and time to reproduce, and parental certainty) would result in sex-differentiated mating strategies and mate preferences. Specifically, women compared to men should be more interested in restricting reproduction, investing heavily in each child, and finding a mate that is willing do likewise. Consequently, when selecting long-term mates, it is beneficial for women to consider a man's willingness to commit to a long-term relationship and his ability and willingness to assist in raising offspring (Todd, Penke, Fasolo, and Lenton 2007). Alternatively, given the shorter reproductive life women, men will need to place more emphasis on cues related to the reproductive status such as youth. Further, the smaller initial investment in reproduction by men may allow them to place more emphasis on cues associated with immediate reproductive value such as beauty.Numerous studies have found that women compared to men prefer mates who are rich in resources (e.g., Buss 1985;