Biological psych 1: Evolution of mental abilities (Lec 25) Flashcards
Describe Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural
selection, and explain what is meant by ‘fitness’.
Darwin’s theory of evolution is is based on ‘survival of the fittest’, and therefore heritability of fitness. Fitness describes reproductive success.
Explain how at least one psychological trait could have been shaped into its present form via natural selection
Anxiety has been shaped into it’s present form via the fitness of people who felt enough fear and had their fight or flight mechanisms activated so that they could run away from their predators.
Who are the 2 scientists who observed ‘shared common decent’ of organisms?
Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
What is the cause of common morphology (‘shape)?
Common decent:
What are the basic concepts of ‘survival of the fittest’?
- Limited resources: Competition
- Fitness: Individuals who are best suited to their environment will survive and reproduce
- Heredity: These individuals will therefore pass on their genes causing development of individuals more and more suited to their environment
What are the 3 basic concepts of ‘survival of the fittest’?
- Limited resources: Competition
- Fitness: Individuals who are best suited to their environment will survive and reproduce
- Heredity: These individuals will therefore pass on their genes causing development of individuals more and more suited to their environment
What are the 3 fundamental elements of Evolutionary Psychology?
Variation
Inheritance
Selection
What is the key function of genetic polymorphisms?
- Occurance of gene alleles which produce variants of same protein
- Speciation occurring through natural selection of genetic variants adapting incrementally.
What did Sir Francis Galton do, and what did he come up with?
He measured ppl to see if there were correlations b/ween physical appearance and behavioural traits
-He came up w the normal bell curve!
What did Sir Francis Galton do, and what did he come up with? What was his most dangerous idea?
He measured ppl to see if there were correlations b/ween physical appearance and behavioural traits
- He came up w the normal bell curve!
- Eugenics
What is eugenics?
‘Purification’ of humans; breeding out ‘undesirable’ traits
What is eugenics, and who were it’s 2 pioneers?
‘Purification’ of humans; breeding out ‘undesirable’ traits
-Sir Frances Galton and Karl Pearson
Can you selectively breed of cognitive phenotypes?
Yes!
Can you selectively breed of cognitive phenotypes?
Yes! Eg breeding rats who make lots of errors together vs rats who don’t make many errors together…smart rats and dull rats!
