关键词: 生命史理论 , 父亲投资理论, 母亲社会化假说, 童年环境, 自感配偶价值, 短期择偶策略

Abstract: Drawing on Life History Theory and Paternal Investment Theory it could be inferred that childhood environments, which include harshness, unpredictability and parents-offspring relationship in childhood, could predict offspring’s reproductive strategies after growing up. In addition, it could also be inferred from Parental Investment Theory that males prefer short-term mating strategy and females prefer long-term mating strategy respectively. However, in reality some women still choose or have romantic partners who exhibit short-term mating strategy. An interesting question arising from this phenomenon is whether it could be predicted from childhood environments that how some women eventually have romantic partners with higher level of short-term mating strategy. Until now few existing literatures have touched on this topic. This research aims to explore this question on the basis of Life History Theory and Paternal Investment Theory, which was derived from Life History Theory. In the pilot study the significant correlation of father (but not mother)-daughter relationship and adult female’s perceived mate value was supported. Questionnaires were collected online in Study 1 with 250 female participants (Mage = 22.75, SD = 2.50) who have romantic experiences. Data was analyzed with the software of SPSS v22.0 and PROCESS 215(Model 10). Results indicated that childhood unpredictability played a significant moderating role on the relationship betweem childhood father-daughter relationship and adult female’s perceived mate value; Female’s perceived mate value played a mediating role between father-daughter relationship in childhood and their romantic partner’s short-term mating preference only under the conditions of stable (low level of childhood unpredictability no matter what the childhood harshness was) or worst (high level of unpredictability and harshness) childhood environments. Experimental priming of childhood father-daughter relationship was adopted in Study 2 with 169 unmarried female participants (Mage = 21.43, SD = 2.04). The variable of childhood harshness was excluded due to its insignificant main and interactive effects in Study 1. Results (PROCESS 215, Model 29) of Study 2 showed that childhood unpredictability moderated the relationship between childhood father-daughter relationship and female’s perceived mate value, which supported the results in Study 1. Results in Study 2 also supported the mediating role of female’s perceived mate value on the relationship between childhood father-daughter relationship and participants’ tolerance with their romantic partner’s short-term mating preferences but only on the conditions that the level of childhood unpredictability was from low to moderate. Conclusion: Childhood father-daughter relationship and childhood unpredictability could predict adult female’s perceived mate vale interactively; Female’s childhood father-daughter relationship could predict their romantic partner’s short-term mating preference through the mediating role of women’s perceived mate value under restricted conditions. Daughter’s Conditional Sensitivity to Paternal Investment Hypothesis and Childhood Environments Socialization Hypothesis are proposed on the basis of results in this research to explain how do childhood experiences socialize individual’s life history strategies.

Key words: life history theory, paternal investment theory, maternal socialization hypothesis, childhood environments, perceived mate value, short-term mating preference