evolution and aggression (pack 3)

Question 1

what research beginning with B found evolutionary explanations for aggression

what 3 reasons did he find?

Answer 1

BUSS
collected evidence to see if natural selection is why some people are more aggressive than others

1. aggression helpful to stockpile resources and use to benefit ourselves
2. aggression necessary for survival and reproduction
3. competition between same sex rivals is needed for reproduction

Question 2

what did David P Barash find on how evolution can be used to explain gender differences in aggressive behaviour

Answer 2

professions that involved violence such as soldiers, executioners, hunters and slaughterhouse workers were male
this is from men having to protect women and offspring with violence to obtain survival

Question 3

what researchers beginning with W and D found on status competition

Answer 3

Wilson and Daly
analysed data from police homicidal records
shows far more homicides committed by young unmarried males
caused by conflict, jealousy

Question 4

what is status competition?

Answer 4

males will partake in risk behaviour such as violence even if they involve the possibility of death or injury this because females are attracted to this as they are willing to show that they will protect resources

Question 5

2 strengths of evolution as an explanation of aggression

Answer 5

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
scientific credibility is high as supporting evidence is vast
demonstrates that it is falsifiable and that physical change will happen when they adapt to their environment
DARWIN widely accepted (finches from the galapagos islands)
BUT fossils only show physical not behavioural changes

aggression has evolved such as in Wilson and Daly in their analysis in detroit…social conflict is showing off jealousy

Question 6

What are 3 weaknesses of evolution as an explanation of aggression

Answer 6

scientific credibility is lowered as difficult to test idea that aggression evolved as vital survival behaviour… we cannot empirically test and that it can be explained better socially

reductionist- fully explained by aggression?
overlook social and cognitive factors…lowers validity since it is NOT complete

deterministic- suggesting humans have little free-will in choosing aggressive response and it is beyond our control