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Open research questions in Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

71 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,582 Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Potential limitations include: i. ii. iii. Social desirability bias, as respondents may underreport involvement in infidelity. Cultural sensitivity, which may limit openness in discussing paternity issues. Limited access to verified data on paternity fraud due to confidentiality of DNA test results. The literature reviewed highlights that paternity fraud and marital infidelity are multifaceted issues influenced cultural, by a combination of socio-economic, 18 XXXXXXXXXXX, YEAR Advance African Research Bulletin psychological, and factors. Theoretical relational frameworks such as Social Exchange Theory, Feminist Theory, and Attachment Theory provide valuable insights into the motivations and dynamics underlying these behaviors. However, there remains a need for context-specific research that explores the intersection of these phenomena within Delta State. This study seeks to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of the driving forces influencing paternity fraud and marital infidelity among couples in the region.

    Investigate the Driving Force that Influences Paternity Fraud and Marital Infidelity among Couples in the Delta State, Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • Based on social role and sexual selection theories, we derived two hypotheses regarding possible variations in sex differences across societal contexts: 1) sex differences increase with societal gender polarization (social role theory) and 2) sex differences are exacerbated in societies where socio-economic opportunities are scarce, unequal, or insecure (prediction derived from sexual selection theory).

    Sex differences in adolescent physical aggression: Evidence from sixty‐three low‐and middle‐income countries · 2018 · DOI

  • This exploratory paper deals with human–animal role identity pairings such as parent–child or sibling–sibling and the necessity of support from other actors both for the formation of these idiosyncratic identities, as well as for their situational placement in social environments not limited to the nonhuman animal.

    “Phil's Calling Grandma… ”: The Role of External Support in Human–Companion Animal Identity Pairings · 2017 · DOI

  • By altering a single physical characteristic in each image pair, participant preference for each of 14 different physical attributes could be investigated over the course of the study.

    Seeing Dogs: Human Preferences for Dog Physical Attributes · 2015 · DOI

  • The present study addressed this gap in knowledge by exploring potential sex differences and individual differences in attitudes toward facilitating and preventing friends’ mating among 256 heterosexual undergraduate men and women.

    Sex Differences and Individual Differences in Human Facilitative and Preventive Courtship · 2014 · DOI

  • Abstract It is well known that adults’ face recognition is characterized by an ‘other‐race effect’ (ORE; see Meissner & Brigham, 2001 ), but few studies have investigated this ORE during the development of the face processing system.

    The role of experience during childhood in shaping the other‐race effect · 2009 · DOI

  • Abstract Many individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) live with others, but little is known about roommate compatibility, and there are no resources available to assist in the selection process.

    Aggression, Sociability, and Roommate Friendship: New Findings Translated Into a Resource for Self‐Determined Choices · 2008 · DOI

  • Adult and child twin studies typically estimate the heritability of prosocial behavior to be between 30 and 50%, although relatively little is known about genetic and environmental influences upon prosocial behavior in adolescence.

    Behavioral genetic analyses of prosocial behavior in adolescents · 2008 · DOI

  • Penke and Asendorpf (European Journal Of Personality, vol 21, this issue) argue compellingly that research on jealousy would benefit from more direct investigation of cognitive processes, and report on research providing mixed evidence for sex differences in jealousy.

    The basic cognition of jealousy: an evolutionary perspective · 2007 · DOI

  • Although personality characteristics figure prominently in what people want in a mate, little is known about precisely which personality characteristics are most important, whether men and women differ in their personality preferences, whether individual women or men differ in what they want, and whether individuals actually get what they want.

    Personality and Mate Preferences: Five Factors In Mate Selection and Marital Satisfaction · 1997 · DOI

  • Although mate choice is clearly a crucial adult decision for more than 90% of the population (Price & Vandenberg, 1980), surprisingly little is known about the characteristics that men and women seek in potential mates (Thiessen & Gregg, 1980).

    Preferences in human mate selection. · 1986 · DOI

  • The method of serial reproduction holds promise as a technique for objective studies of characteristic cultural attitudes, habits of thought and of expression, and would certainly payoff if this pilot study could be replicated with several teams representing each nation, whether using the same or different test material.

    Cultural Differences in Serial Reproduction · 1956 · DOI

  • T h e intrr-school personal-equation effect (between judges in different schools, unfamiliar with each other, and rating different samples) is scarcely any greater than that between judges in the same school. These results prompted a further investigation of the influence of the personal equation in a preschool sample for which fairly adequate test measures of intelligence were available (viz.

    The Personal Equation in Ratings: I. An Experimental Determination · 1932 · DOI

  • ABSTRACT While male commitment plays a pivotal role in female mate choice strategies, its capacity to drive women's luxury consumption remains underexplored.

    His Commitment as a Catalyst: Unpacking Women's Luxury Preferences Through Paternal Investment · 2026 · DOI

  • Lay Summary Mental health problems vary widely across cultures, yet evolutionary psychiatry has rarely studied non-industrialised societies.

    Evolutionary research on mental health in non-industrialised contexts: an introduction to the special issue · 2026 · DOI

  • Evolutionary literature suggests that breast morphology may provide subtle cues related to reproductive maturity or health, but such interpretations remain debated.

    Perceived Attractiveness of Breast Size: Biological, Psychological, and Sociocultural Determinants · 2026 · DOI

  • Genetic correlations between parity and lifespan provided limited evidence for a fertility-longevity trade-off: they were weakly negative in women, but close to zero or weakly positive in men.

    Genetic Architecture of Reproduction and Longevity in Historical Dutch Cohorts · 2026 · DOI

  • Findings demonstrate the ovulatory shift hypothesis may not be applicable in established couples who may be making the conscious decision to remain committed to their romantic partner.

    Examining Changes in Long-Term Couples’ Relationship Satisfaction, Mate Guarding Behaviors, and Jealousy Across the Menstrual Cycle · 2026 · DOI

  • Fairness-related decisions depend on both offer value and partner identity, yet how aging reshapes the network-level connectivity supporting these decisions across social contexts remains unknown.

    Older Adults Show Altered Network Connectivity during Fairness Decisions with Similar and Dissimilar Partners · 2026 · DOI

  • Unlike previous anecdotal accounts from former members, this research systematically investigates how reproductive coercion manifests within destructive group settings, thereby addressing a long-standing gap in the literature.

    Understanding Reproductive Coercion in Cults and Destructive Group Settings · 2025 · DOI

  • Abstract Despite the widespread use of face masks to combat COVID‐19, little is known about their immediate and delayed social consequences.

    Changing perceptions of people wearing masks: Two years of living in a pandemic · 2024 · DOI

  • Previous research acknowledged that adult children had different mate preferences from their parents, but had no consensus on how such differences existed in certain mate characteristics.

    Parent–child discrepancies in mate preferences: A three‐level meta‐analysis · 2024 · DOI

  • Since previous research has yielded conflicting findings, this study examines the influence of masculinity and femininity on the attractiveness of computer-generated facial composites, both generally and in the context of the age and gender of the evaluators, using a quasi-experimental approach.

    Attractive Human Face as a Communication Tool: Age and Gender Specifics of the Attractiveness of Sexually Dimorphic Features in Facial Composites · 2023 · DOI

  • One limitation of the naturalistic observation method is that it is understudied how accurately personal relationships may be judged by observers in real-life settings.

    Human Observers Are Accurate in Judging Personal Relationships in Real-life Settings: A Methodological Tool for Human Observational Research · 2023 · DOI

  • BACKGROUND: Older adults are stereotyped in a paternalistic manner (warm, but incompetent), deserving of assistance regardless of their need; however, little is known about how gender contextualizes these attitudes.

    Expanding Benevolent Ageism: Replicating Attitudes of Overaccommodation to Older Men · 2021 · DOI

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71 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,582 Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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