runaway selection

a theory of female mate selection proposing that certain male traits with little or no survival advantage are nonetheless so sexually attractive to females that they choose mates with these traits and thereby ensure male offspring with the same attractive traits. The theory attempts to explain the rapid (runaway) evolution of disadvantageous male traits in some species (e.g., the long, colorful, but cumbersome tails of peacocks). Compare good genes hypothesis. [proposed by Ronald Aylmer Fisher]

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Psychology term of the day

February 18th 2025

perspectivism

n. a philosophical position in which it is assumed that there is no objective, context-independent truth. Perspectivism is sometimes applied to psychotherapy. [derived from the work of Friedrich Nietzsche]