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Evaluating Wedekind

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  • Evaluating Wedekind

The following worksheet tests your understanding of the Wedekind key study. 

The questions below will help you to consider what information might be included in either an SAQ or an ERQ when discussing the Smelly T-shirt study.

Below you will find the questions as well as some suggested answers. Write out your answers first and then check your work by clicking on the hidden boxes.

Checking for understanding

1. The aim of Wedekind’s study was to examine the role of MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) in attraction.  What is MHC and what role did he think it plays in attraction?

MHC is a group of genes that play an important role in our immune system.  They are also linked to an individual's scent.  The genes are codominantly inherited - meaning that the more variation in the two mates' MHC, the more varied the immune system of the child.  This increases a child's chance of survival - and thus the ability to detect MHC in human relationships is advantageous for natural selection.

2. What are two variables that were controlled by Wedekind in his study?  Why was this important?

There were several variables that were controlled.  Women could not be on the pill because this changes their sense of smell.  In addition, males were not allowed to eat certain foods or use perfumes during this time so that their scents would not be altered.

3. The study was a “double-blind experiment.” Explain what that means with regard to the procedure.

It means that the women in the study did not know which MHC they were sniffing; in addition, the researchers did not know which woman had which t-shirt and which MHC she represented.  All this data was collected and coded and then the results were determined to avoid researcher bias.

4. One of the strengths of this study is that there is evidence in addition to this study that MHC plays a role in attraction. - that is, we can say that the results may be reliable based on the findings of other studies. Give one example.

Tests in animals - for example, rats - demonstrate that females are more attracted to male rats with a different MHC than their own.  In addition, it has been found that there is a higher rate of miscarriage in couples with similar MHC.