The ovulatory shift: proceptive and receptive mating behaviours across the menstrual cycle

Abstract

Research has suggested an ovulatory shift whereby women become more oriented towards short-term mating around the time of ovulation. Other research suggests that women’s cyclical shifts depend on their sociosexuality and that sociosexuality may only be related to proceptive (but not receptive) behaviours. Study 1 (n = 64) provided reliability and validity information on an independent measure of short-term mating orientation and examined women’s use of proceptive and receptive mating strategies with a new measure (the Proceptive and Receptive Mating Strategies Scale; PARMSS). Reliability and validity indicators provided strong support for use of both measures. Study 2 (n = 28) was a prospective pseudo-randomized counterbalanced controlled crossover design where women rated their likelihood of engaging in proceptive and receptive mating behaviours with imaginary men and 19 specific attractive men (seen in photos) at the periovulatory and luteal phases of their menstrual cycles. It was predicted that women overall would show an increase in receptive mating behaviours near ovulation (Hypothesis 1), but that sociosexuality would interact with menstrual cycle phase to predict proceptive behaviours (i.e., restricted women will become more proceptive at ovulation but unrestricted women will become less proceptive) (Hypothesis 2). It was predicted that differential shifts in self-perceived attractiveness may be a mechanism facilitating the ovulatory shift (Hypothesis 3). Hypotheses 1 and 2 (but not 3) were supported when women evaluated men of high social visibility and the effects were most pronounced in a subsample of exclusively heterosexual women. This dissertation provides rationale and preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the PARMSS and provides further evidence that women’s sociosexuality is associated with differential shifts in proceptive mating behaviour across the menstrual cycle.