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History of Psych Test 2 > Chapter 10 - Evolution and Individual Differences > Flashcards

Chapter 10 - Evolution and Individual Differences Flashcards

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1
Q

Evolution

A

Process by which the heritable traits of a species change over time

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2
Q

What is evolution driven by?

A

Natural selection

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3
Q

Natural selection

A

Process by which species come to possess traits because these traits enable them to effectively adapt to their environment (i.e., to survive and reproduce)

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4
Q

What did early evolutionists (e.g., 1700s) recognize?

A

Species change and progress towards a “higher” form
Characteristics are inherited
Species evolve through a struggle to survive
Species evolve from a common ancestor
Characteristics serve a purpose

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5
Q

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck theoretical orientation

A

Philosophie Zoologique

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6
Q

Philosophie Zoologique

A

Fossil evidence shows that species change over time –> become closer to form that makes is easier to survive

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7
Q

What are changes visible in fossil evidence due to?

A

Environmental changes

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8
Q

Lamarck’s main contribution

A

Inheritance of acquired characteristics

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9
Q

Example of inheritance of acquired characteristics

A

Scarcity of prey causes more muscle development, which is then passed down

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10
Q

Herbert Spencer claim to fame

A

Applied evolution to the human mind and society

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11
Q

Give an example of how Spencer applied evolution to the human mind

A

Complexity/differentiation of the NS allows us to make more complex associations (i.e., be more intelligent)

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12
Q

What term did Spencer introduce into modern psychology?

A

Intelligence

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13
Q

Spencer-Bain principle

A

Frequency of behaviour increases if followed by a pleasurable event and decreases if followed by a painful event

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14
Q

Application of Spencer-Bain principle

A

We learn associations in order to engage in behaviours that encourage our survival

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15
Q

What does the Spencer-Bain principle believe about instincts?

A

They are habits/associations inherited from ancestors

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16
Q

What is the colloquial term that stemmed from social Darwinism?

A

Survival of the fittest

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17
Q

Social Darwinism

A

Spencer believed that humans and societies are progressing towards a pre-destined goal of “perfection”
Believed that governments should encourage free competition among citizens, rather than help the “weak” and “poor”

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18
Q

How did Social Darwinism manifest in society?

A

American capitalism and individualism

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19
Q

Who said the following quote: “If they are sufficiently complete to live, they do live, and it is well they should live. If they are not sufficiently complete to live, they die, and it is best they should die.”

A

Herbert Spencer

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20
Q

Charles Darwin’s trip

A

The Voyage of the Beagle

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21
Q

What happened on the Voyage of the Beagle?

A

Observed that species on the Galapagos Islands differed somewhat from island to island (e.g., finches and their beaks)

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22
Q

What were Darwin’s 2 main books?

A

On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection
The Descent of Man

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23
Q

What is important for evolution to occur?

A

There is natural variation in individual traits –> need competition

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24
Q

Through a __________________, traits that enable ________ are ___________

A

Struggle for survival
Fitness
Naturally selected

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25
Fitness
Ability to survive and reproduce
26
How are certain traits adaptive features?
Because they enable an organism to survive and reproduce
27
Are adaptive features inherently strength, aggression, or competitiveness?
Not necessarily
28
Did Darwin believe that evolution had a goal?
No, he said nothing about evolution as "progress" or "perfection" Evolution "just happens"
29
Time span for evolution according to Darwin
Argued that evolution occurred over millions of years
30
What did Darwin believe humans and the great apes descended from?
A common ancestor
31
According to Darwin, why do humans have emotions?
Remnants once necessary for survival (e.g., anger for aggression)
32
What do traits that may not be adaptive now reflect?
Evolutionary pressures from 12,000 years ago
33
Are emotions culturally universal? Explain.
Yes, e.g., fear, disgust, sadness, joy, surprise, anger are primary emotions and are expressed and interpreted universally in the same ways
34
Darwin's main influence
Sparked interest in functionalism, behaviourism, developmental psychology, and individual differences in intelligence and personality, etc.
35
Who did Darwin influence?
Edward Wilson
36
Edward Wilson
Sociobiology: The new Synthesis (1975)
37
Sociobiology
The study of how natural selection shapes social behaviour E.g., love, altruism, warfare, morality, mating behaviours, parenting behaviours
38
What does sociobiology emphasize?
Success in perpetuating one's genes rather than emphasizing success in reproducing
39
Example of sociobiology
Inclusive fitness We are driven to perpetuate genes of our kin
40
Give real-world example of inclusive fitness
Even if someone hates their brother, they are more likely to save him over their best friend from a burning building
41
What is sociobiology now known as?
Evolutionary psychology
42
What is Sir Francis Galton's main claim to fame?
Father of eugenics
43
Was Galton on Nature or Nurture side? Explain.
Nature; extreme nativism Originally proposed that intelligence is inherited through sensory acuity (e.g., better vision/hearing = greater intelligence)
44
What term did Galton coin?
Eugenics
45
Eugenics
Beliefs and practices aimed at improving the genetics of a human population
46
Example of eugenics
Through selective breeding
47
What was Galton the first to do? What did he conclude from this?
Administer a questionnaire in psychology Eventually concluded that potential for intelligence is inherited but must be "nurtured by a proper environment"
48
What was Galton among the first to study?
Twins and the nature-nurture question
49
What did Galton find from his twin studies?
Found that identical twins were very similar, even when raised apart; fraternal twins were dissimilar, even when raised together
50
What concept did Galton develop?
Correlation
51
Galton's correlation
Recognized that two variables are co-related when "the variation on one is accompanied on the average by more or less variation on the other"
52
Examples of Galton's study of correlation
Study on peas, height, "eminence" as an indicator of intelligence
53
Sub-concept of Galton's correlation
Regression toward the mean E.g., very tall parents tend to have more moderately tall children
54
James McKeen Cattell interest
Individual differences (e.g., reaction time, intelligence)
55
What was Cattell the first to do?
Opened the first undergraduate psychology lab in the U.S. The first to use the term "mental test" in a publication
56
What did Cattell develop? Examples?
Developed 50 mental tests for uni students at Columbia, most measuring sensory acuity and reaction time E.g., grip-strength, ability to discriminate weight, ability to remember a series of letters
57
How did Cattell use his mental tests?
Administered test to 1st year students at Columbia University
58
Correlations of Cattell's mental tests
One of his grad students found that: Correlations between the tests were very low (low/no reliability) Correlations between some tests and university success were nearly zero (low/no validity)
59
What did intelligence tests form the basis of?
Eugenics
60
Alfred Binet assumption
IQ was largely inherited/genetic
61
Alfred Binet book Premise?
The Experimental Study of Intelligence Tested, observed, and reported on his daughters' intellectual development
62
Binet invention
1st IQ test: Binet-Simon scale of intelligence
63
How did Binet differ from Galton and Cattell?
Emphasized developmental differences and tested cognitive abilities more directly E.g., memory, attention, visual space, comprehension, moral judgment
64
Why was Binet's 1905 test developed?
To distinguish children with mental deficiencies E.g., blind or deaf children were previously being falsely classified as having mental deficiencies
65
What did Binet's scale reflect?
Intelligence is a collection of abilities that develop with age and can be improved
66
Main change in Binet's 1908 test
Standardized to determine levels of intelligence among "normal" children aged 3-13 E.g., if 75% of "normal" children of a certain age could pass a test, the test was assigned to that age group
67
Henry Herbert Goddard's 1st claim to fame?
Translated Binet-Simon into English
68
Goddard's 2nd claim to fame
The Kallikak Family: A study in the heredity of feeble-mindedness
69
What term did Goddard's Kallikak family study coin?
Moron
70
Explain the beginning of the Kallikak family lore
Deborah (22) shown to have a mental age of 9 and an IQ of 41 Traced ancestry back to 1700s when a male relative (Martin Sr.) had a child (Martin Jr.) with a feeble-minded barmaid
71
Martin Sr.'s lore after barmaid
Had 7 children with a "worthy" girl, none of whom were "feeble-minded" However, 5 of Martin Jr.'s 10 children were "feeble-minded" Descendants shown to be much more likely to be "criminal, immoral, and antisocial"
72
What did the Kallikak Family study serve as?
Early support for eugenics; "It is perfectly clear that no feeble-minded person should ever be allowed to marry or become a parent"
73
Kallikak family study political implications
20 states passed sterilization laws; thousands were sterilized until the 1970s
74
Lewis Madison Terman
Developed Stanford-Binet tests (1912/1916)
75
How did Terman adjust Binet's tests?
Adjusted and further standardized until average for each age group was 100
76
Terman's big study
Longitudinal study to demonstrate that gifted children are not "freaks" (i.e., early ripe, early rot) 1528 children with average IQ of 151 (135 or higher) High intelligence doesn't "deteriorate" into adulthood
77
What did Terman strongly believe about IQ?
It is inherited
78
Who said the following quote: "Not all criminals are feeble-minded, but all feeble-minded persons are at least potential criminals. That every feeble-minded woman is a potential prostitute would hardly be disputed by anyone"
Terman
79
Who said the following quote: "The least intelligent 15% or 20% are not always useless but always a potential liability"
Terman
80
How did Terman validate his tests?
By comparing scores to teacher ratings and grades, but schools were measuring the same things
81
Cultural bias in intelligence tests
Canadian norms are higher than U.S. norms
82
IQ trends in adoption
IQ scores increase when children move from lower-class to middle-class homes
83
Example of cultural bias in intelligence tests
Indigenous children in Canada whose first language was not English had below average verbal scores but average or above average nonverbal scores 77% scored less than 70 on verbal items, but only 5.7% scored less than 70 overall Likely due to difficulty understanding items, and to approaching items differently
84
Walter Lippmann
A journalist One of Terman's harshest critics
85
Who said the following quote: "I hate the impudence of a claim that in 50 minutes you can judge and classify a human being's predestined fitness in life. I hate the pretentiousness of that claim. I hate the abuse of scientific method which it involves. I hate the sense of superiority which it creates and the sense of inferiority which it imposes."
Lippmann
86
Leta Stetter Hollingworth
Debunked assumption that women are psychologically impaired during menstruation and intellectually inferior to males
87
What did Hollingworth argue determined differences in prominence between men and women?
Social roles Woman bear and rear the race... nearly 100% of their energy is consumed in the performance and supervision of domestic and allied tasks, a field where eminence is impossible We should consider first the most obvious conditioning factors. Otherwise our discussion is futile
88
What did Hollingworth advocate for?
Better treatment of gifted children
89
Hollingworth book
Gifted Children (1926) Became a standard text in schools of education
90
Hollingworth influence
Likely influenced Edward Thorndike to emphasize nurture more than nature in developmental psychology

History of Psych Test 2 (3 decks)

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