3.7 Evolutionary Psychology 1

Question 1

tinbergen: what does causation/mechanism refer to?

Answer 1

immediate biological causes of behaviour (hormones, genes, nerve impulses) –> what/how neural networks are activated when a bird sings?
* stimulus triggers response - neurobiology of decision-making

Question 3

tinbergen: what does development/ontogeny refer to?

Answer 3

how a behaviour has developed over an individual’s lifetime, owing to genetics, learning, environmental influences –> how does a young bird learn its species song?
* helpful behaviour emerges in children - expression shaped and reinforced (praise-seeking)

Question 4

tinbergen: what does evolution/phylogeny refer to?

Answer 4

why has a behaviour developed in a certain species, considering ancestry and evolutional history –> why did singing develop in certain species (eg birds) but not reptiles?
* prosocial responses seen in closely related species + other social mammals

Question 5

tinbergen: what does function/adaptive value refer to?

Answer 5

the adaptive value/contribution that the behaviour makes to FITNESS –> why does singing increase chances of finding a mate and thus species survival?
* helping behaviour strengthening bonds, more likely to be protected, social inclusion

Question 6

outline why there is a false dichotomy between environments and genes

Answer 6

• you can’t have any behaviour without a brain/neurobiological mechanisms
• all biological mechanisms are in present form due to influence of environment

Question 7

outline some arguments for the biological basis of behaviour

Answer 7

• behaviours often species specific, appearing in all members of species (e.g. dancing)
• behaviours have evolutionary history: sim behaviours shared by related species
• beh change w developmental changes (oft predictably, milestones)
• beh can change w biological changes e.g. head trauma, drugs
• beh can run in families –> heritability of neurodivergence