The relationship between infidelity risk and oral sex: An independent replication of Pham and Shackelford (2013) and Pham et al. (2013)
In two studies, Pham and Shackelford (2013) and Pham et al. (2013) analyzed the relations between oral sexual behavior and partner infidelity risk in heterosexual couples. They found that indicators of partners’ risk of infidelity were significantly associated with men’s, but not women’s oral sex behavior. Specifically, men showed more interest in, and spent more time performing oral sex if their partner was at greater risk of infidelity. And, the association between partner infidelity and oral sexual behavior was significantly stronger for men than for women. We conducted a preregistered close replication of these studies using two distinct samples. In both samples, partner infidelity risk was not significantly associated with greater interest in and duration of oral sex for men. Additionally, no evidence suggested that infidelity risk was associated with women’s interest in, and time spent performing oral sex on their male partners, consistent with the original study. The associations between infidelity risk and oral sexual behaviors were not significantly different between men and women, which were also not statistically significant in the original research. The current study offers contradictory evidence for the evolutionary explanation proposed by the original authors regarding the adaption of oral sexual behaviors in humans.