Abstract
Much research has been done about adult female courtship signals which women display during the mate attraction and seduction process. However, there is a very little information about how and when these highly specific behaviors occur during puberty and adolescence.
Given the current boom in social networks sites (SNS), it can be assumed that many girls are posting their photos on these sites as a part of a "rehearsal play" to attract the attention of potential mates. Therefore, in our research, we use SNS as a rich and accessible source of insight into the development of female courtship behaviors.
Additionally, our research also includes a dimension that explores the connection between the nonverbal signals that girls display in photos and their experience with online sexual offending. We collected photos of 50 women, who were born between 1996 and 1998.
Each participant was asked to send a minimum of 42 photos, 7 photos for each year from when she was 13 to 18 years old. Four trained coders (two women and two men) rated the photos based on the presence of selected signals.
The selection of nonverbal signals tracked on the photos was based on previous research in adult women. Further, basic demographic data, sexual anamnesis and a QOSSIA questionnaire on online sexual offending experience were collected.
Data are currently being analyzed. The results will not only help to explain the developmental process of female specific mate - attraction and seduction behaviors but also to identify factors that contribute to the risk of online sexual offending.