Escolha de parceiros na adolescência

Mate choice is a component of sexual selection. Trying to understand the patterns of this process, several studies have emphasized the adaptive value of sexual differences and their influence on the assessment of the market value. The pattern for adults presented on the scientific literature, which is based on the preference for certain characteristics, shows that men search a partner who shows high value of fecundity and fertility, thus looking for partners with the ability of being pregnant and nursing their offspring. On the other hand, women look for partners with high socioeconomic status, which is strongly associated with the ability to protect and provide resources for them and their offspring. Surprisingly, there is few works that investigated the mate choice patterns during the beginning of the period of sexual differentiation on the morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. The aim of this study was to investigate mate choice patterns in adolescence in order to describe their preferences and contribute to the understanding of human reproductive behavior. Took part of this research 1,232 students from educational institutions of Natal, Brazil, and visitors to the Scientific, Technological and Cultural Fair UFRN. In the Experimental Study 1, we applied a questionnaire to evaluate the importance of certain characteristics, assessed the degree of romantic involvement and real and ideal partners age preference. In the Experimental Study 2, we did a survey of characteristics considered relevant and evaluate the importance of these characteristics in mate choice. The Experimental Study 3 brought an investigation of mate choice patterns based on self-assessment of adolescents, evaluating ideal partner for a short-term and long-term relationships and actual partner. We found that adolescents are motivated to live romantic experiences. We also observed a preference for partners of similar age to that described for adults. Finally, we found similarities and differences in the preferences for characteristics in real and ideal partners in relation to the adult pattern. In addition, we observed high similarity on the self-assessment and assessment of real and ideal partners. We suggest that in the mate choice, adolescents are similar to young adults in some aspects but not all. Our results show the relevance of the reproductive behavior investigation in this human developmental period and reinforce that further studies should contribute to the understanding of human behavior in terms of ontogenetic development and their evolutionary history.

Papel de sinais cromáticos na identificação de parceiros sexuais em sagüi comum (callithrix jacchus)

The literature concerning color vision shows a trichromatic advantage in detecting ripe fruits and young leaves, but there are contradictory results. There is also the suggestion of this type of vision being adapted to perceive socio-sexual signals. Indeed, Old World primates utilize the skin color of conspecifics as a factor of attraction. But in New World primates there is no record of a coloration signal in the body that can be utilized by other group members. The present study aims to: 1- test whether there is a relation between coloration of body regions and ovulatory cycle in female Callithrix jacchus; 2- Determine if this species uses visual signals to choose mates that are sexually receptive. We collected feces from six females during one month to quantify progesterone concentration by EIA. Body region coloration was measured using a portable spectrometer and modeled to obtain the quantum catch of each photoreceptor, the opponency channels and chromatic distance between the points in units of JND. We recorded the behavior of six males exposed to three pairs of females with a cycling and a non-cycling female in each pair using a transparent plexiglass apparatus. The color of different body regions presented a correlation between progesterone concentration and the yellow-blue and red-green visual axes, with the genitalia as the region showing the highest correlation. The visual axis more apt to see the color variations was the yellow-blue in dichromats, and in trichromats were the red-green to face, yellow-blue to abdomen and both chromatic axes to genitalia. There was no difference in the signal detectability between trichromats and dichromats, but the perception pattern differed between the phenotypes, with a better signal detection by the dichromat phenotype 562 and the trichromat phenotype 543/562. During the behavioral experiments males presented longer gaze duration in periods of experimental manipulation and gaze duration was always longer towards cycling females compared to non-cycling females. Male locomotion during experimental manipulation was greater than in the control only during the periovulatory period of the female, indicating greater excitement. The behavior of cycling females was more active than the behavior of the non-cycling ones regarding locomotion and touching of the plexiglass division of the apparatus. Male gaze duration to cycling females increased with decreasing progesterone concentration, but none of the coloration parameters was correlated to the mate preference exhibited. This coloration signal can transmit information to animals of the group about fertility of female. Different from the intense red of the genitalia swellings of Old World primates, marmoset female genitalia became more bluish-green in the fertile period. Males chose fertile females and were able to visually identify the periovulatory period of females. Choice is related to progesterone concentration, but our results do not show relation between coloration and mate preference. Maybe some behavioral measure is associated with the choice

O romance em baixo d’água: tipos comportamentais e escolha de parceiros em Betta splendens

Cada indivíduo apresenta uma respostas comportamental diferente diante de um desafio ambiental, muitas vezes mesmo quando comparado a outro indivíduo da mesma espécie, sexo e idade, essas diferenças são chamadas tipos comportamentais e quando consistentes ao longo do tempo caracterizam uma síndrome comportamental ou personalidade animal. Evidências apontam que a personalidade animal pode interferir na aptidão reprodutiva do indivíduo. Tendo isso em vista, no presente estudo machos e fêmeas adultos de Betta splendens foram observados em três contextos (exploratório, social e avaliação de risco), para identificar a existência de tipos comportamentais e diferenças entre os sexos nos tipos comportamentais nessa espécie. Os indivíduos foram classificados em três níveis em cada contexto: contexto social (social; intermediário e não-social), contexto exploratório (explorador, intermediário e não-explorador) e avaliação de risco (bold, intermediário e shy). Após essa classificação, machos sociais e nãosociais, exploradores e não-exploradores de coloração vermelha e azul foram utilizados no experimento de escolha de parceiro pelas fêmeas. Nossos resultados apontam que a maioria dos indivíduos testados possui fenótipos intermediários para os três contextos avaliados, e uma minoria de machos e fêmeas apresentaram tipos comportamentais. E a análise de correlação mostra que machos e fêmeas se comportaram de modo diferente em relação aos contextos. No experimento de escolha de parceiro, os resultados mostram que os tipos comportamentais da fêmea e do macho influenciam no processo de escolha de parceiro e que, mesmo na presença de pistas visuais (coloração corporal dos machos), o tipo comportamental continua sendo importante no processo de escolha.

O romance em baixo d’água: tipos comportamentais e escolha de parceiros em Betta splendens

Cada indivíduo apresenta uma respostas comportamental diferente diante de um desafio ambiental, muitas vezes mesmo quando comparado a outro indivíduo da mesma espécie, sexo e idade, essas diferenças são chamadas tipos comportamentais e quando consistentes ao longo do tempo caracterizam uma síndrome comportamental ou personalidade animal. Evidências apontam que a personalidade animal pode interferir na aptidão reprodutiva do indivíduo. Tendo isso em vista, no presente estudo machos e fêmeas adultos de Betta splendens foram observados em três contextos (exploratório, social e avaliação de risco), para identificar a existência de tipos comportamentais e diferenças entre os sexos nos tipos comportamentais nessa espécie. Os indivíduos foram classificados em três níveis em cada contexto: contexto social (social; intermediário e não-social), contexto exploratório (explorador, intermediário e não-explorador) e avaliação de risco (bold, intermediário e shy). Após essa classificação, machos sociais e nãosociais, exploradores e não-exploradores de coloração vermelha e azul foram utilizados no experimento de escolha de parceiro pelas fêmeas. Nossos resultados apontam que a maioria dos indivíduos testados possui fenótipos intermediários para os três contextos avaliados, e uma minoria de machos e fêmeas apresentaram tipos comportamentais. E a análise de correlação mostra que machos e fêmeas se comportaram de modo diferente em relação aos contextos. No experimento de escolha de parceiro, os resultados mostram que os tipos comportamentais da fêmea e do macho influenciam no processo de escolha de parceiro e que, mesmo na presença de pistas visuais (coloração corporal dos machos), o tipo comportamental continua sendo importante no processo de escolha.

Realidade ou ficção? A influência da autopercepção como parceiro romântico e da autoestima na escolha e preferência de parceiros românticos

In general, men and women look for characteristics that can indicate improvement of their reproductive success in their romantic partners. However, partner choice is not only based on what the individual want in a partner, but he/she also takes into consideration how they perceive themselves in a determined environment, in a way that self-perception can change according to the context where the individual is inserted in. Besides the environment, self-esteem can be a factor that modifies romantic partner preferences and the way that people choose these partners for being able to influence how people evaluate themselves. Most of the studies that originate today’s universal standards in the study of romantic partner were conducted with undergraduate students, which may limit the coverage of the conclusions for contemplating people of the same educational level and probably also socioeconomic status (SES). The present research, held in Brazil, where the social inequality rate is high, and part in Canada, country with low social inequality, had as goal verifying romantic partners preferences and choices and self-evaluation as romantic partners in different educational level and SES. Men, mainly of low SES, tend to prioritize social status when looking for a romantic partner while the universal pattern is the preference for physical attractiveness, and women of low SES seem to be aware of this preference when expressing that social status is important for their self-perception. In addition, the results corroborate the influence of the context, selfesteem, and SES in the self-perception as a romantic partner, though the latter two appear to modulate how the is the influence of the context on participants’ perception. Moreover, this research also indicated that the preferences appear to represent the choices for the most important characteristics for each sex, being the other characteristics probably modulated by the quantity of available participants in the environment.