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Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
8-2014
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Joseph Frederick Salvatore
University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss
Part of the Social Psychology Commons
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Salvatore, Joseph Frederick, "The Long and the Short of it: Testing the Conversion and Cuckold Strategies
of Ancestral Human Outgroup Mating. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2014.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2854
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee
Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized
administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
To the Graduate Council:
I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Joseph Frederick Salvatore entitled "The Long
and the Short of it: Testing the Conversion and Cuckold Strategies of Ancestral Human
Outgroup Mating." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and
content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology.
Lowell A. Gaertner, Major Professor
We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance:
Michael A. Olson, Garriy Shteynberg, Russell Zaretzki
Accepted for the Council:
Carolyn R. Hodges
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
The Long and the Short of it:
Testing the Conversion and Cuckold Strategies of Ancestral Human Outgroup
Mating
A Dissertation Presented for the
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Joseph Frederick Salvatore
August 2014
ii
Copyright © 2014 by Joseph F. Salvatore
All rights reserved
iii
Dedication
This manuscript is dedicated to my loyal and devoted dog, Gio.
iv
Acknowledgements
This acknowledgement will serve as a formal thank you to all who have supported
me, challenged me, doubted me, and praised me. I would not be where I am without you.
To my advisor, Dr. Lowell Gaertner. I could not have envisioned that anybody
could or would provide to me the guidance and encouragement you so unselfishly have.
The extent to which you have afforded me insight into experimental research design,
statistics, and human psychology does not begin to reach the extent to which you have
showed me what it means to be a mentor. My students, past, present, and future, will be
indebted to you. My time in Tennessee with you, of course, will be cherished.
To Dr. Alan Pratt – for the continued academic and professional guidance. For
believing in me when others did not. For your emotional and financial support. You have
always provided me with practical and pragmatic advice. You impacted my life greatly,
and I am grateful beyond words.
To Dr. Erin O’Mara, Dr. Lydia Eckstein-Jackson, and to Amy Heger – each my
academic sister. All of you have listened to me, reasoned with me, argued with me, and
yelled at me at one point or another. But most importantly, I’d like to thank you for being
there for me. This work would not have been possible without you.
To Dr. Michael Olson, Dr. Garriy Shteynberg, and Dr. Russ Zaretzki – the other
three-fourths of my doctoral committee. Thank you for listening to me talk about this
work ad nauseam, vacillate over analytic approaches, and for offering insight into
conceptual, practical, statistical, and stylistic aspects of this manuscript. The balance
between each of your theoretical orientations was refreshing and challenging for me. I
must say, I couldn’t have chosen a better committee.
v
To my soon-to-be-wife, Mary Angela Ramirez. You have endured my (at times)
non-sensical ranting and confusing behavior and, while we both have pursued our
passions, you have always supported me greatly. Likewise, this work would not be
possible without you.
Finally, I’d like to thank my father. For always supporting me. For never giving
up on me. For loving me unconditionally, and allowing me to make mistakes. Dad, I
found it odd to dedicate this work to you, because my life is dedicated to you. I wish we
had more time together. I understand, now, that the time we have here is not guaranteed. I
promise to enjoy life and keep you with me wherever I go. I love you.
vi
Abstract
The human social group likely aided in ancestral human’s survival. However, the
small-knit extended kin group in which human ancestors evolved posed a plausible
reproductive threat in the form of inbreeding. The outgroup mating hypothesis (Salvatore,
Meltzer, & Gaertner, under review) proposed that, as a solution to the inbreeding
dilemma, ancestral females may have mated outside their social group. The current work
examines two competing hypotheses by which ancestral females mated with outgroup
males and balanced parental investment concerns. The conversion hypothesis posits that
ancestral females mated with an outgroup male under the provision that he and his group
would care for the offspring. The cuckold hypothesis proposes that ancestral females
furtively mated with an outgroup male while retaining primary partner and group support
for the offspring. The current work uses multiple methods and measures to test the
competing hypotheses against one another. Study 1 manipulates women’s motivational
state to reflect a short-term sexual (i.e., one-night-stand) or long-term committed (i.e.,
marriage) mate-seeking strategy and measures attraction to ingroup and outgroup men.
Study 2 uses a restricted response window and assesses evaluations of ingroup and
outgroup men for sex and marriage partners. Study 3 uses a version of the affect
misattribution procedure (Payne et al., 2006). Results of Study 1 indicated strong support
for the conversion hypothesis. Results of Study 2 and Study 3 were inconclusive. I
suggest that ancestral women who mated with an outgroup man and converted to his
collective received a fitness benefit over ancestral women who did not. Implications of
results and future directions are discussed.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
The Outgroup Mating Hypothesis 2
Choice-obviated strategies 4
Choice-based strategies 4
Alternative interpretations for results consistent with the conversion
hypothesis
A halo-effect 7
Impression management 8
Self-deception 9
Current Research 10
Chapter 2: Study 1 12
Pilot Studies Overview 12
Pilot Study 1 – Word Choice for the LDT 13
Results 14
Pilot Study 2 – Story Prime Assessments 14
Results – Explicit Ratings 16
Standardization of Day of Menstrual Cycle 18
Menstrual Cycle Analysis 18
VSC: Vulnerability to Sexual Coercion 19
Socio-sexual Orientation 20
Fantasy sub-scale 21
Results - Implicit Ratings (Lexical Decision Task) 22
Reaction Time Reconstruction 22
Correct (vs. Incorrect) Responses 23
Treatment of Non-words in the LDT 24
Basic Analysis 25
Individual Difference Analysis 26
Menstrual Cycle Analysis 26
VSC: Vulnerability to Sexual Coercion 27
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Socio-sexual Orientation 28
Fantasy sub-scale 28
Interactions involving Individual Difference variables 28
Pilot Studies – Discussion 29
Study 1 Overview 30
Participants and Design 32
Results 33
Intergroup attraction as a function of Story-type 35
Cycle moderated shifts 37
Individual Difference Analysis 38
Socio-sexual Orientation 38
Perceived Vulnerability to Sexual Coercion 39
Fantasy sub-scale 39
Short-term and Long-term ratings following Short-term and Long- 39
term Stories
Domain-specific Mate Ratings as a function of Story- 40
type and Rating-type
Discussion 42
Short-term and Long-term Ratings 44
Chapter 3: Study 2 48
Participants and Design 48
Results 51
Reaction Time as a Dependent Variable 52
Response Latency as a function of Rating-type and Group 52
Response as a Dependent Variable 53
Probability of responding “Yes” as a function of Rating-type 54
and Group
Does RT predict responding “Yes” as a function of Rating-type and 54
Group?
Probability of responding “Yes” as a function of Rating-type 56
and Group
Discussion 59
Chapter 4: Study 3 64
Description:The cuckold hypothesis proposes that ancestral females furtively mated with an outgroup male while retaining primary partner and group support.
