Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A questão da orientação para o futuro tem ocupado um grande espaço nas discussões sobre o desenvolvimento jovem, sendo abordada por uma diversidade de enfoques teóricos. Prioritariamente, as teorias apontam fatores cognitivos e motivacionais como principais na relação entre os jovens e o tempo futuro. A presente dissertação de Mestrado teve por objetivo aproximar-se desse campo de investigação através da perspectiva Evolucionista da Psicologia, acrescentando variáveis sociodemográficas e contextuais à pesquisa do tema. Tal propósito foi atingido por meio de três artigos científicos distintos elaborados ao longo do curso de Mestrado. O artigo inicial, apresentou uma revisão crítica da literatura sobre Metas de Realização e Estimativas Futuras de jovens, propondo um modelo diferenciado para o estudo do tema através da Teoria Evolucionista das Estratégias de História de Vida. O segundo artigo, apresentou um estudo empírico sobre o mesmo tema, realizado com Jovens de diferentes contextos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro: moradores de favelas (Rocinha e Vigário Geral) e estudantes universitários não moradores de favelas. Concluindo que em diferentes cenários sociais, as perspectivas futuras apresentam-se de maneiras distintas e sensíveis às variáveis específicas do contexto. O terceiro artigo, dedicou-se a investigação das expectativas de vida destes mesmos jovens e encontrou resultados semelhantes. Para os jovens moradores de favelas, as expectativas de vida e as estimativas de tempo futuro se mostraram menores. O conjunto de trabalhos produzidos permitiu atingir o objetivo proposto e, com base na Psicologia Evolucionista, ressaltar a importância de variáveis extrínsecas para o estudo das metas e estimativas de futuro, assim como das expectativas de vida dos jovens. Espera-se que as informações oferecidas pelo trabalho possam ampliar o panorama de estudos sobre o tema, assim como servir de referência para profissionais ligados ao público jovem, em pré-vestibulares, projetos sociais e outras políticas públicas desenvolvidas em favelas e outros contextos sociais. / A questão da orientação para o futuro tem ocupado um grande espaço nas discussões sobre o desenvolvimento jovem, sendo abordada por uma diversidade de enfoques teóricos. Prioritariamente, as teorias apontam fatores cognitivos e motivacionais como principais na relação entre os jovens e o tempo futuro. A presente dissertação de Mestrado teve por objetivo aproximar-se desse campo de investigação através da perspectiva Evolucionista da Psicologia, acrescentando variáveis sociodemográficas e contextuais à pesquisa do tema. Tal propósito foi atingido por meio de três artigos científicos distintos elaborados ao longo do curso de Mestrado. O artigo inicial, apresentou uma revisão crítica da literatura sobre Metas de Realização e Estimativas Futuras de jovens, propondo um modelo diferenciado para o estudo do tema através da Teoria Evolucionista das Estratégias de História de Vida. O segundo artigo, apresentou um estudo empírico sobre o mesmo tema, realizado com Jovens de diferentes contextos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro: moradores de favelas (Rocinha e Vigário Geral) e estudantes universitários não moradores de favelas. Concluindo que em diferentes cenários sociais, as perspectivas futuras apresentam-se de maneiras distintas e sensíveis às variáveis específicas do contexto. O terceiro artigo, dedicou-se a investigação das expectativas de vida destes mesmos jovens e encontrou resultados semelhantes. Para os jovens moradores de favelas, as expectativas de vida e as estimativas de tempo futuro se mostraram menores. O conjunto de trabalhos produzidos permitiu atingir o objetivo proposto e, com base na Psicologia Evolucionista, ressaltar a importância de variáveis extrínsecas para o estudo das metas e estimativas de futuro, assim como das expectativas de vida dos jovens. Espera-se que as informações oferecidas pelo trabalho possam ampliar o panorama de estudos sobre o tema, assim como servir de referência para profissionais ligados ao público jovem, em pré-vestibulares, projetos sociais e outras políticas públicas desenvolvidas em favelas e outros contextos sociais.

abstract: Life History Theory suggests that, in order to maximize reproductive fitness, individuals make trade-offs between allocating resources to mating and parenting. These trade-offs are influenced by an individual's sex, life history strategy, and environment. Here, I explored the usefulness of a Life History Theory framework for understanding endorsement of child support laws. This study experimentally manipulated sex ratio, and gathered information about participants' endorsement of child support, sexual restrictedness, and mate value. As predicted, women endorsed child support more than men, whereas men favored greater restriction of child support in the form of required paternity testing. However, in general, results do not support an effect of sex ratio, sexual restrictedness, or mate value on endorsement of child support. Results suggest sensitivity to exploitation in a male-biased sex ratio, reflected by an increase in men's endorsement of paternity testing requirements under a male-biased sex ratio prime. Women, on the other hand, report especially unfavorable beliefs toward paternity testing in a male-biased sex ratio. Although results of the current study are mixed, there remains much to be gained from applying an evolutionary perspective to understanding variability in endorsement of child support. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2013

Alloparenting has played a pivotal role in every society throughout human history in ensuring the survival and healthy development of children. A large amount of theory (e.g. kin-selection) and evidence exists to support this claim, and though alloparenting is certainly not unique to humans, it is difficult to suggest that any other species benefits from it more, and certainly not one as ubiquitous as Homo sapiens. However, there is a surprising dearth of empirical research examining the causes of individual variation in the amount and type of alloparental behavior that a child receives, and what effect this variation has on previously validated measures of child well-being. We propose how different measures of familial relatedness and the spatial distribution of relatives might be used to predict the amount and type of alloparental care a child receives, and how these variables may interact to affect a child’s health. We employed a variety of different methods; genealogical modeling, genetic analysis, geospatial mapping, ethological behavioral observations, and anthropometric measurements in order to generate objective data to test these predictions. As members of a relatively isolated native people in Sonora, Mexico, our study population (the Comca'ac) is uniquely suited to help us test our hypotheses. From just this pilot study, we have made many methodological developments and found strong support for many of our hypotheses. There are many new questions to answer as well, which together suggest the future directions for an intensive study of a broader sample of this population, and alloparental behavior in humans in general.

Recent research has shown that sexual activity may be influenced by variables suggested by evolutionary theory, such as pheromonal cues. A recent study in our laboratory indicated that female pheromones influence men’s drinking and approach behavior based on hidden pathways of behavioral influence caused by chemosensory signals. The current study sought to examine whether a link exists between male pheromones and women’s drinking and approach behavior, through the use of a possible male sex pheromone called androstenone, and sought to examine this link within the context of a women’s ovulation cycle. One hundred and three female participants were primed with either androstenone or a control scent and then completed measures assessing their beer consumption, approach behavior, and ovulatory phase. Results of the study indicated that females who were exposed to the androstenone prime drank significantly more than those exposed to the control prime, though results indicated no differences between groups in terms of approach behavior. No interaction effects existed between group condition and ovulatory phase on beer consumption or approach behavior; however, a limited amount of participants were ovulating when they completed the study, as indicated by a biological assay. The results from the current study implicate a specific pathway to alcohol use through biological signals within a sexual context. The findings from this study expand the existing literature on olfactory and pheromone signaling of sexual behavior in humans and shed light on newly uncovered biological pathways of influence on human behaviors.

Previous research has revealed that green spaces provide numerous benefits to human beings. One such benefit is the proven ability of green spaces to restore individuals’ attention capacities. However, there exists very little literature that examines these benefits in the context of tertiary education campuses. University campuses are hubs where full-time students spend many hours daily during the course of their studies and are therefore exposed to the benefits of the landscaping on their campuses. This study therefore aimed to determine the manner in which students at the University of Pretoria perceive the on-campus green spaces, specifically in terms of the restorative properties of these areas. Quantitative data collection strategies were utilised, yielding a final sample size of 286 participants. A survey was employed as the research design, and included both closed and open-ended questions. Results indicated a generally positive perception of the green spaces on campus. Students tend to enjoy spending time in green spaces and find all green spaces that were addressed restorative. The Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden was rated as the most restorative green space on campus. Future research includes exploring the link between attention restoration and academic achievement of students in order to better understand the role green spaces play in this regard. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Previous studies have pointed out an interesting fact: the use of hormonal contraceptives modifies the partner preferences of women towards men more feminine and genetically less compatible. This master thesis first tried to experimentally verify whether these different preferences are reflected in real mate choice outside the context of the laboratory. It includes two studies comparing partner satisfaction and relationship dynamics in couples that have been formed under the influence of pills versus under the influence of the natural menstrual cycle. Study 1 includes 3116 mothers and was conducted through an online questionnaire. The second study collected representative data from 1605 Czech men and women aged 35 to 65 years representing the population of the CZ also through a hand-to- hand questionnaire. Study 1 confirmed the assumption in several ways: hormonal contraception users (during the mate choice) assessed their partners as less attractive and masculine compared with women who naturally cycled at that time. We also found their sexual satisfaction was reduced, however, they were more satisfied with non-sexual aspects of the relationship. In contrast to established hypotheses Study 1 found that the partnerships formed under the influence of hormonal contraceptives separated significantly...

The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part is focused on the main theories of human mating strategies, such as sociosexual orientation and sexual strategies theory, which emphasizes intersexual differences as a result from the asymmetry of parental investment, and strategic pluralism theory, which highlights intrasexual variation in mating behavior. The second part consists of one review article published in the Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science and one original research article published in The Journal of Sex Research, a peer-reviewed journal. In this part we explored possible evolutionary origins and adaptive values of paraphilic interests and their prevalence in the Czech population. The third part consist of one article published in the peer-reviewed journal Personality and Individual Differences and two research studies which are currently under peer-review in two international journals. The main aim of this part was to test whether individual differences in femininity-masculinity, Big Five personality traits, and propensity to sexual excitation and inhibition are associated with individual sociosexual orientation. A further aim was to test whether attention towards sexual stimuli is affected by an individual's level of sociosexual orientation and by depressive...

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