Question

Pawlowski and colleagues (2000) gathered data from over 3,000 Polish men, and investigated the hypothesis that sexual dimorphism in humans is the result of female choice. They found that there was a slight but significant level of sexual selection on ________.

1) the body mass index (BMI) of men in their twenties, thirties, and forties for both marriage and producing offspring

2) the weight of men in their twenties, thirties, and forties for both marriage and producing offspring

3) the height of men in their twenties, thirties, and forties for both marriage and producing offspring

4) the intelligence quotient (IQ) of men in their twenties, thirties, and forties for both marriage and producing offspring

Answer 1

The study by Pawlowski and colleagues found a significant level of sexual selection based on the height of men, supporting the idea that sexual dimorphism in humans could be a result of female choice for traits indicating genetic fitness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The study by Pawlowski and colleagues (2000) that gathered data from over 3,000 Polish men investigated the hypothesis that sexual dimorphism in humans is the result of female choice. They found that there was a slight but significant level of sexual selection on the height of men in their twenties, thirties, and forties for both marriage and producing offspring. This suggests that females may be selecting mates based on traits that indicate a male's genetic fitness, supporting what is known as the good genes hypothesis.

Sexual dimorphism arises from the variation in reproductive success among individuals of different phenotypes. In cases where there is great variance, females tend to select males with certain traits, such as larger body size or more elaborate features, which are thought to signal genetic superiority. These selections intensify the pressure on males to evolve traits that are attractive to females, leading to pronounced physical differences between the sexes, otherwise known as sexual dimorphisms.