Preference versus choice: How experimental tests of face preferences relate to actual partner choice
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Psychology
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Dal Martello MF
(2015)
Allocentric kin recognition is not affected by facial inversion.
in Journal of vision
DeBruine L
(2014)
Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior
Fisher C
(2013)
Individual differences in pathogen disgust predict men's, but not women's, preferences for facial cues of weight
in Personality and Individual Differences
Fisher CI
(2014)
Do assortative preferences contribute to assortative mating for adiposity?
in British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)
Hahn AC
(2014)
Sex ratio influences the motivational salience of facial attractiveness.
in Biology letters
Jones B
(2013)
Pathogen disgust predicts women's preferences for masculinity in men's voices, faces, and bodies
in Behavioral Ecology
Jones BC
(2013)
Salivary cortisol and pathogen disgust predict men's preferences for feminine shape cues in women's faces.
in Biological psychology
Jones BC
(2015)
Facial coloration tracks changes in women's estradiol.
in Psychoneuroendocrinology
Kandrik M
(2016)
Are Men's Perceptions of Sexually Dimorphic Vocal Characteristics Related to Their Testosterone Levels?
in PLOS ONE
Kandrik M
(2014)
Men's, but not women's, sociosexual orientation predicts couples' perceptions of sexually dimorphic cues in own-sex faces.
in Archives of sexual behavior
| Description | Significant new knowledge included: 1. Demonstrating that mate preference and choice are correlated for shape sexual dimorphism (an invited revision reporting this result is being prepared for Proceedings B) 2. Demonstrating that own attractiveness moderates the relationship between mate preference and choice for perceived health (a paper reporting these results is under review at Evolution and Human Behavior) 3. Demonstrating that mate preference and choice are correlated for facial cues of adiposity, but that this relationship does not contribute significantly to assortative mating for weight (a paper reporting these results is in press at British Journal of Psychology) 4. Demonstrating that men's, but not women's, openness to uncommitted relationships predicts their sensitivity to cues of the attractiveness and dominance of potential romantic rivals (a paper reporting these results was published in Archives of Sexual Behavior) We published six additional papers on other aspects of face preferences that acknowledged the grant because they used stimuli developed primarily for the project. A total of 12 talks on data from the grant were made at international conferences. Dr DeBruine and Professor Jones have been invited to present research from the project in plenary talks at international meetings in USA and Italy next summer. Data and paradigms from the grant were included in interactive exhibits at 2013 Glasgow Science Centre's Biology Week, 2014 Glasgow Science Festival, and an ongoing, permanent exhibit on mate choice at the Glasgow Science Centre's Bodyworks exhibit. This research led to an exhibit showcasing the findings and technology being chosen as one of the 22 exhibits at the 2015 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. An invited article by Dr DeBruine that references findings from the project and acknowledges the ESRC for funding her ongoing work on human mate choice was published in 2015 in the magazine of the international Association for Psychological Science (APS). |
| Exploitation Route | The findings from this project present new evidence for the validity of experimental methods for studying mate choice and present evidence that links between preference and choice need to account for the market value of individuals. We expect these findings to influence both theory and methodology in the academic study of human mate choice. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://facelab.org |
| Description | Findings and techniques developed from this grant have been used in several public science events, most notably, one of the 22 invited exhibits at the 2015 Royal Society Summer Sceince Exhibition, the UK's most presitgious public science event. As a consequence of the visibility achieved at this event, my lab has recently been contracted to use face transforming softare we developed as part of this grantto create publicity material for the German World Cup football team. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | APS Observer article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The PI (L DeBruine) was invited to write a brief article on her research for the international magazine of the Association for Psychological Science. Information from the current ESRC-funded project was included in this article. We were able to reach a much wider audience of professional psychologists than would normally read about our research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2014/october-14/a-sense-of-famil... |
| Description | Glasgow Science Centre Biology Week Exhibit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Visitors to the Glasgow Science Centre participated in interactive demonstrations and experiments based on the findings and technology used in our project. Many visitors to the Science Centre expressed interest in participating in our online research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org |
| Description | Glasgow Science Centre Bodyworks Exhibit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Visitors to Glasgow Science Centre can participate in an interactive face preference task as part of the Mating and Reproduction section of the BodyWorks exhibit. More than 11,000 people interacted with this exhibit in the first 3 months. This exhibit strengthened our relationship with the Glasgow Science Centre, which led to further data collection on their premises. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2014 |
| URL | http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/bodyworks/exhibition.html |
| Description | Glasgow Science Festival 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Members of the public could participate in experiments and demonstrations of the technology used in our project. Individuals could take their own face picture and transform it using computer graphic techniques developed in our lab. Several members of the public expressed interest in participating in our online data collection. Many people expressed interest in accessing a website where they could upload and transform face images. Such a website is currently under development. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://issuu.com/glasgowsciencefestival/docs/glasgow_science_festival_2014/1?e=2892483/7581447 |
| Description | Invited plenary at Economics and Biology of Contests Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave one of 3 plenry talks at the interdisciplinary conference, Economics and Biology of Contests, hosted by the Queensland University of Technology in Brsibane, Australia. The audience was about 60 resaearchers and students in biology, psychology and economics. My presentation focussed on the mate preference versus mate choice work from my ESRC grant and generated several potential collaborations with economists whose models of market forces have parallels in mate choice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://contests-conference-2016.qut.edu.au/ |
| Description | Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The activity demonstrated some of the computer graphic techniques we use to measure and manipulate facial appearance. We also spoke to the public about our research on facial appearance and mate choice. A survey of people attending the exhibit and interacting with the website showed that people reported a higher interest in studying psychology at university after interacting with the exhibit than before interacting with the exhibit (people who either had or had not yet attended our exhibit were surveyed at the Royal Society). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://facefacts.scot |