Selecting Egg and Sperm Donors: The Role of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, Height and Personality
- 1 Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- 2 Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- 3 Department of Psychology, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Galloway Township, USA
Abstract
This paper reports two studies where respondents were asked to help a friend make a decision about egg and sperm donation. In both studies they were presented with 16 hypothetical person’s which they were asked to rate for suitability. In the first study on egg donation the hypothetical donors differed on age (18 - 20 years vs. 30 - 33 years), social class (I/II vs. III/IV), Ethnicity (Caucasian vs. Asian) and Personality (Extraversion vs. Introversion). Effects were strongest for age and ethnicity with a preference for younger Caucasians. In the second study 16 sperm donors were described who differed similarly in age, social class and ethnicity, but personality was substituted for height (5'6" to 5'8" vs. 6'1" to 6'3"). There were strong main effects for social class, ethnicity and height with the respondents choosing middle class, tall, Caucasians. There were various significant interactions. Between subject factors (sex, ethnicity and religion) were also examined. Implications and limitations were considered.
- Birenbaum-Carmeli, D., & Carmeli, Y. (2002). Psysiognomy, Familism and Consumerism: Preferences among Jewish-Israeli Recipients of Donor Insemination. Social Science and Medicine, 54, 363-376. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00035-1
- Box, G. E. P. & Cox, D. R. (1964). An Analysis of Transformation. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B, 26, 211-243.
- Buss, D. M. (1985). Human Mate Selection. American Scientist, 73, 47-51.
- Buss, D. M. (1987). Sex Differences in Human Mate Selection Criteria: An Evolutionary Perspective. In Sociobiology and Psychology: Issues, Ideas and Application (Edited by Crawford C., Smith M. and Krebs D.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Buss, D. M. & Angleitner, A. (1989). Mate Selection Preferences in Germany and the United States. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 1269-1280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(89)90239-0
- Furnham, A. (1988). Lay Theories. Oxford: Pergamon.
- Furnham, A. (2009). Sex Differences in Mate Selection Preferences. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 622-627. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.03.013
- Furnham, A., Ariffin, A., & McClelland, A. (2007). Factors Affecting Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources across Life-Threatening Medical Conditions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 2903-2921. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2007.00287.x
- Furnham, A. F., Hassomal, A., & McClelland, A. (2002). A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Factors and Biases Involved in the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources. Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 381-391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1359105302007004327
- Furnham, A., Thomas, C., & Petrides, K. V. (2002). Patient Characteristics and the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 7, 99-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13548500120101595
- Furnham, A., Thomson, K., & McClelland, A. (2002). The Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources across Medical Conditions. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 75, 189-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/147608302169643
- Greenlees, I. A., & McGrew, W. C. (1994). Sex and Age Differences in Preferences and Tactics of Mate Attraction: Analysis of Published Advertisements. Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 59-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90017-5
- Harrison, A. A., & Saeed, L. (1977) Let’s Make a Deal: An Analysis of Relevations and Stipulations in Lonely Hearts Advertisements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 257-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.4.257