evolution

Question 1

• give evolutionary reasons as to why humans display aggressive behavior

Answer 1

• increase reproductive fitness
• to find a mate
• prevent females from leaving
• increase survival chances
• protecting offspring or mates

Question 3

why could males today experience sexual jealousy

Answer 3

• in the past a concern for males was to not find a mate
• even when they have one they want to maintain influence over her
• aggressive behavior was used to prevent females leaving

Question 4

what would happen to aggressive behaviors which aid the survival of genes

Answer 4

they would be passed onto offspring

Question 5

• we compete in life for partners
• what did mate competition include

Answer 5

• rivalry
• led to jealousy

Question 6

why were people jealous - evolutionary

Answer 6

• to secure them a mate and survival of genes
• sex
• babies
• continuation of family

Question 7

why was family continuation very important for early humans

Answer 7

• community or group needed a constant supply of new members if it was to continue

Question 8

what evolution wise does a pregnant woman need from her mate

Answer 8

• physical resources
• energy
• time
• a man to provide for her and her child
• food
• shelter
• protection

Question 9

why could a woman be jealous of a man

Answer 9

• if she suspects he is with another woman
• sexually unfaithful
• puts her and her child’s survival at risk

Question 10

how is aggression useful to women. to enhance her and her child’s survival

Answer 10

• good strategy to drive off or remove other women
• deters another woman from trying to attract that man
• punishes the man

Question 11

why may the ‘other woman’ be aggressive to the existing female partner

Answer 11

• to secure the man and his resources for herself

Question 12

what does make jealousy and aggression translate to

Answer 12

• a man not wanting to devote his time and resources to another man’s child

Question 13

why may a man be aggressive and jealous towards another woman man

Answer 13

• if a woman was unfaithful
• he doesn’t want her to risk having another man’s child

Question 14

aggression would help to secure food and shelter- limited resources
- how does aggression have an adaptive purpose

Answer 14

• it facilitates survival
• adaption to the environment
• those who defend food and shelter survive longer and reproduce
• aggression then is passed down as genes leading to aggression

Question 15

why would males who are more aggressive be more successful

Answer 15

• against other males
• securing mates as they could fight any rivals
• prevents their mates from sexual infidelity
• more likely to pass on genes

Question 16

study supporting infidelity and jealousy - Buss and Shackleton

Answer 16

• saw what men do in response to feeling threatened in a relationship
• for evidence of natural selection
• found men tended to give into females giving her everything she wanted to and were threatening when other males were around
• aiding survival of men’s genes

Question 17

what did Buss and Shackelton find out about women

Answer 17

• women threaten to leave the man if he is unfaithful
• use verbal threats ‘he’s taken’
• women know 100% their baby is there’s, men don’t
• explains current inherited behavior

Question 18

disadvantage - female aggressive jealousy

Answer 18

• idea that this may deter another woman from trying to attract her man may be valid
• how much jealousy put into that aggressive action depends on social norms of the group and personalities and strengths of those observed

Question 19

evolutionary theory - deterministic

Answer 19

• innate response
• doesn’t consider free will
• humans do have choice over behavior

Question 20

evolutionary theory - alternative explanations

Answer 20

• social aggression can be explained by social factors not evolution

Question 21

how could the evolutionary theory be reductionist

Answer 21

• suggests our behaviors are the results of dispositional factors ignoring role of situational factors such as aggression or environment
• aggression is based on situational and dispositional factors
• more holistic explanation needed
• too simplistic

Question 22

what is the evolutionary worry of not reproducing

Answer 22

• end of their genes

Question 23

what genes are likely to be naturally selective

Answer 23

• genes which maximize an individuals ability to reproduce successfully

Question 24

anisogamy and parental investment

Answer 24

• makes produce sperm at little cost
• best strategy is to mate with as many females as possible to have maximum number of offspring to continue genes

Question 25

anisogamy

Answer 25

difference between egg and sperm

Question 26

parental investment

Answer 26

any investment made by the parent in an individual offspring that increases the offspring’s chances of survival at the cost of the parents ability to invest in other offspring

Question 27

which parental investment in a child is greater

Answer 27

female

Question 28

what is a woman in evolutionary chemistry at risk of

Answer 28

-getting pregnant

Question 29

why are women typically more discriminating then men when choosing sexual partner

Answer 29

consequences of mating with an unsuitable partner is far greater for women then men

Question 30

because women are more picky with their sexual partners what trait to males have

Answer 30

aggression to compete against other men for females

Question 31

according to evolutionary theory what are the purposes for relationships and attraction

Answer 31

- to reproduce - ensure our genes are passed on

Question 32

what partners should men and women seek for

Answer 32

- who produce healthy offspring - who can be cared for - why men want young women - why women want men with resources

Question 33

fishers hypothesis : runaway process

Answer 33

- females are initially attracted to features of a male that have survival value

Question 34

human reproductive behavior - positives

Answer 34

- buss did a study to show that men and women in different cultures follow patterns of behavior predicted by evolutionary theory - personal ads in newspapers show women looking for mates emphasized their physical beauty and that they want a high status wealthy man - women are more selective ‘hi wanna have sex w me at uni’ 75% males said yes

Question 35

human reproductive behavior - negatives

Answer 35

- buss found cultural differences in sex differences, mate preference in western and non western cultures - discounts cultural differences - deterministic fails to consider role of free will assuming behaviors are innate and have no choice in how we behave - reductionist ignores situational factors and role of environment - exposure effect - we tend to like people who we’ve been exposed to