Universal evolutionary motivation

Word count: 2500- 3000 words (excluding references).

Summarize findings from empirical articles on a specific issue of motivation research in where you develop a hypotheses that logically follows the literature.

Topic : Evolution – Strategies of human mating (in males)

content covered in the topic :

i) – Preference for reproductive value (fertility) / paternal certainty / competition /
e.g. Youth and beauty in female / Skin condition/ Symmetry / Neoteny / Body size and shape

ii) factors that attract females in short term vs. long term context
E.g. resources, power/dominance, intelligence, derogation of rivals’ characteristics

iii) Female implicit signs of fertility e.g. voice change, scent

iv) mate retention behaviours

v) evidence for short-term mating adaptations in males e.g. penis and testicles size, ejaculate content,

Expected to explore additional literature outside of this list below:
Chang, L., Lu, H. J., Li, H., & Li, T. (2011). The face that launched a thousand ships: The mating-warring association in men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(7), 976-984.

Perilloux, C., & Kurzban, R. (2014). Do men overperceive women’s sexual interest?. Psychological Science, 0956797614555727.

Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (2004). Do pretty women inspire men to discount the future?. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 271(Suppl 4), S177-S179.

Buss, D. M. (1999). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind. Allyn & Bacon, 105-170.

Buss, D. M. (2003). The evolution of desire: Strategies of human mating. Basic books.

Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997). From vigilance to violence: mate retention tactics in married couples. Journal of personality and social psychology, 72(2), 346.

Haselton, M. G., & Gildersleeve, K. (2011). Can men detect ovulation?. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(2), 87-92.

Approach the topic from a “universal motivational perspective” (in a broad sense of the term). Thus, it is essential that the research proposal focuses on the psychology of motivation.
what motivates (most of ) us – why do we do what we do? – not looking at it in terms of individual level.

Your proposal should resemble the Introduction and Method sections of an APA/BPS formatted research article, including the References section, with a few additional requirements specific to the proposal.

APA format

The paper of your research proposal should include the following headed main sections:

– Title Page – including title of research proposal, chosen research topic, and word count.

– Abstract: between 150 and 200 words

– Introduction
This section reviews the relevant literature and demonstrates your knowledge, understanding, and critical reflection of the relevant theorizing and existing literature on the topic. It clarifies how and why the proposed research would make a meaningful contribution to the literature and explains the concepts, the rationale of the research proposal, the research goals/questions, and hypotheses to be tested.

Try to keep your research question(s) and hypotheses properly focused and simple.
The Introduction should be focused on explaining and justifying the rationale behind the proposed study in particular, not on rambling through all the literature relevant to the topic.

• Start with a brief general introduction to the topic.
• Review any previous research and theory in psychology that is relevant to your specific idea.
• Argue that the previous body of knowledge is incomplete and how your study will address this gap in the literature. Clarify the goal(s) of the proposed study and describe the general methodological approach.
• End with a list of specific hypotheses justified/supported by your interpretation of the existing literature.

– Method
This section describes the participants and provides details of the materials, tasks and measures you would use. It outlines the design of the study and reports the procedure that would be used. Provide references when you rely on existing materials or measures or indicate if you would have to develop new materials or scales. Of most importance is to select a method that is actually able to test your hypotheses. Provide enough details that someone else could do the study in basically the same way as you would do.

Provide a projected number of participants and briefly describe the general method of recruitment, as well as any criteria to be used to select them (right-handed, female, etc.).

The Method section should also describe the Design. Most research in experimental psychology describe whether the independent (experimental) variables are manipulated within or between participants and the number of levels (conditions) each variable has.

– OPTIONAL: a Discussion section can be included after the Method section and without exceeding the maximum word count to discuss possible inherently associated with the chosen research methodology.

– References – lists all references cited, in APA 6 format.

– NO statistical analyses needed.