Abstract
Partnership is a universal part of human existence. Human partner selection has been long studied within evolutionary and sociocultural frameworks. One study by Townsend and Levy (1990) found that physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status influence male and female partner selection in distinct ways. The present study replicated and extended the work of Townsend and Levy, investigating how physical attractiveness, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity influence relationship willingness at various levels of involvement. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted, and planned post hoc pairwise comparisons and parameter estimates were analyzed. We analyzed responses from 503 single American adults of four racial/ethnic groups under 16 test conditions. We found no significant difference in relationship willingness between male and female participants, so the findings of Townsend and Levy were not replicated. Further, there was no significant difference in relationship willingness for one's own racial or ethnic group versus another racial or ethnic group. Implications for research and human partner selection are discussed.
Degree
PhD
College and Department
Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Henderson, Elena Kelsey, "Socioeconomic Status and Physical Attractiveness in Partner Selection 32 Years Later: An Empirical Replication and Extension of Townsend and Levy (1990)" (2022). Theses and Dissertations. 9677.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/9677
Date Submitted
2022-08-24
Document Type
Dissertation
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12508
Keywords
interracial marriage, interracial relationship, interethnic marriage, interethnic relationship, partner selection, dating, sex, marriage
Language
english
