Human courtship behaviour: biological basis and cognitive processing

Abstract

In 1975 Kendon described the literature on human courtship as almost nonexistent. Almost ten years later, Hinde (1984) found our knowledge still fragmentary, and, moreover, in need of an integrative framework. Indeed, most of what we know about courtship originates from just a handful of direct observations. What remains consists of interviews carried out at different stages of courtship. There are at least two reasons for this situation. First, it seems to be difficult to obtain sufficient and convincing data, despite information gathered by questionnaires. Second, cross-cultural comparisons seem to show that the behavioural variability is high. Moreover, courtship seems to have undergone historical change (Cook, 1981), even though, as a result of biological restraints, courtship behaviour appears to be a bastion for the strict performance of stereotyped gender role behaviour. In this chapter I consider existing data and develop empirically testable hypotheses in the light of sociobiological and cognitive theory. In this way I hope to focus on the study of this important aspect of human life.

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