Peahens Prefer to Mate with Peacocks That Have the Brightest

question 70

Multiple Choice

Peahens prefer to mate with peacocks that have the brightest and largest tail displays.The peacock's tail is,in and of itself,a disadvantage to the males.It is large and cumbersome and the males are more easily caught by predators because of it.Given these facts,why isn't the peacock's tail selected against by natural selection?

• A) peacocks lack the mutations to allow selection to work
• B) it is working- peacocks are slowly going extinct
• C) in spite of the disadvantage, peacocks with larger tails leave more offspring
• D) it is selected against but because a peahen gives birth to so many males, the population is not greatly affected
• E) this is one of those mysteries of biology

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Definitions:

Dispositional Attribution

The inclination to ascribe an individual's actions more to their character traits or personality rather than to the circumstances they are in.

Situational Attribution

The process of attributing behavior to external factors or circumstances rather than to internal personality traits.

Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon

A compliance tactic that involves getting a person to agree to a large request by first setting them up by having that person agree to a modest request.

Attitude

A mental inclination demonstrated through assessing a specific entity with a certain level of preference or aversion.