The important role that mate choice plays in the lives of animals is matched by the large and active research field dedicated to studying it. Researchers work on a wide range of species and behaviours, and so the experimental approaches used to measure animal mate choice are highly variable. Importantly, these differences are often not purely cosmetic; they can strongly influence the measurement of choice, for example by varying the behaviour of animals during tests, the aspects of choice actually measured, and statistical power. Consideration of these effects are important when comparing results among studies using different types of test, or when using laboratory results to predict animal behaviour in natural populations. However, these effects have been underappreciated by the mate choice literature to date. I focus on five key experimental considerations that may influence choice: (i) should mating be allowed to occur, or should a proxy behavioural measure of preference be used instead? (ii) Should subjects be given a choice of options? (iii) Should each subject be tested more than once, either with the same or different stimuli? (iv) When given a choice, how many options should the subject choose between? (v) What form should the experimental stimuli take? I discuss the practical advantages and disadvantages of common experimental approaches, and how they may influence the measurement of mate choice in systematic ways. Different approaches often influence the ability of animals to perceive and compare stimuli presented during tests, or the perceived costs and benefits of being choosy. Given that variation in the design of mate choice experiments is likely unavoidable, I emphasise that there is no single ‘correct’ approach to measuring choice across species, although ecological relevance is crucial if the aim is to understand how choice acts in natural populations. I also highlight the need for quantitative estimates of the sizes of potentially important effects, without which we cannot make informed design decisions.

中文翻译：

---

设计择偶实验

配偶选择在动物生活中的重要作用与致力于研究它的庞大而活跃的研究领域相匹配。研究人员研究了广泛的物种和行为，因此用于衡量动物配偶选择的实验方法变化很大。重要的是，这些差异通常并不纯粹是装饰性的；它们可以强烈影响选择的测量，例如通过改变动物在测试期间的行为、实际测量的选择方面以及统计功效。在使用不同类型的测试比较研究结果时，或使用实验室结果预测自然种群中的动物行为时，考虑这些影响很重要。然而，迄今为止，择偶文献并未充分认识到这些影响。我关注可能影响选择的五个关键实验考虑因素：（i）应该允许发生交配，还是应该使用代理行为偏好测量？(ii) 是否应该让受试者选择选项？(iii) 是否应该用相同或不同的刺激对每个受试者进行多次测试？(iv) 当有一个选择时，受试者应该在多少个选项之间进行选择？(v) 实验刺激应该采取什么形式？我讨论了常见实验方法的实际优点和缺点，以及它们如何以系统的方式影响配偶选择的测量。不同的方法通常会影响动物感知和比较测试期间呈现的刺激的能力，或者是挑剔的感知成本和收益。鉴于配偶选择实验设计的变化可能是不可避免的，我强调没有单一的“正确”方法来衡量跨物种的选择，尽管如果目的是了解选择如何在自然种群中起作用，生态相关性至关重要。我还强调需要对潜在重要影响的大小进行定量估计，否则我们无法做出明智的设计决策。