In experiment five, the independent variable is the color and the dependent is the male attraction. The independent variable was operationalized by taking a photo of a woman, giving it a mean attractive number, and manipulating the color of her shirt between blue, a conservative contrast, and red. The dependent …show more content…
The use of red has developed into a norm: red ochre was used as face and body paint on females to symbolize the emergence of fertility, red often appears as a symbol of passion, lust, and fertility in ancient mythology, literature, and plays, red is used on Valentine’s Day, red is a highly popular color for women’s lingerie, and women commonly wear red lipstick. Groups conform to these fad’s which over time has associated red with fertility and sexuality. The evolutionary/bio-social theory states that red is also a symbol of fertility leading to greater reproductive fitness. Many female primates display red on their genitals, perineum, chest, or face when nearing ovulation, such as the red swelling of the perineum in baboons, or the slight reddening of the vulva in gorillas. Human women ovulation is not as apparent as primates, but slight red notes are visible. Women may show red blushes of flirtation, or a red flush of sexual excitation. Men may be more attracted to red due to its connotation to fertility, which is meant to increase sexual selection. The behaviorist theory may explain the red effect as a stimulus pairing. Red may carry a sexual meaning when it is on a woman’s body with natural flushes or mimicked with cosmetics. Red could be a stimulus and when a woman wears it then mean could believe they will get a more sexually open response from