Evolutionary Explanations of Behaviour

Question 1

Theory of evolution

Answer 1

Proposed by Charles Darwin: the scientific concept that species change over time through a process of natural selection
* organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those traits to their offspring, leading to gradual changes in a species over generations (natural selection)
* humans have a number of behaviours in common with other animals: mate selection, love of a mother for offspring and self-preservation

Question 2

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 2

Attempt to explain how certain human behaviors are the result of the development of our species over time
* important to remember that natural selection cannot select for a behavior; it can only select for the genes that may produce behavior

Question 3

Connection between animals and reproductive success

Answer 3

Animals evolve features whose function is not to help individuals survive, but help them to maximize their reproductive success
* can be done either by making themselves attractive to the opposite sex (intersexual selection), or by intimidating same-sex rivals (intrasexual selection)

Question 4

Goals of mating for animals

Answer 4

Investment includes providing food and defending the mate and child against predators

Question 5

Perspectives on mate selection for males

Answer 5

Males may be fertile for a good part of their lives
* when looking for a partner, they would look for a woman with “high reproductive value”
* this is physically obvious: smooth skin, good muscle tone, full lips - and above all, young

Question 6

Perspectives on mate selection for females

Answer 6

Women are limited in their reproductive ability - both due to age and the fact that they usually only produce one egg per month
* according to Trivers (1972), women seek out a partner who will invest in their offspring

Question 7

Limitations of evolutionary take on behaviour (name 4)

Answer 7

• assumption of genetic inheritance: assumes behaviours are genetically inherited - difficult to determine extent to which certain behaviour are actually inherited vs learned through culture
• universal behaviours: assumes that certain behaviours are universal across all humans - many traits can be influenced by specific cultural and historical circumstance
• difficult to test hypotheses: cannot observe human evolution in real life and environment has changed over time - hard to make definitive predictions about future behavioural changes
• lack of historical context: limited knowledge about psychological traits of Homo spaiens - lack of firm conclusions
• descriptive, not casual: fail to establish cause an effect - correlational studies and susceptible to confirmation bias where evidence is used to fit pre-existing theories
• self reported data: lack of reliability, demand characteristics, social desirability effect
• non-deterministic traits: possessing certain traits does not mean individuals are forced to exhibit specific behaviours
• ethical and sexist concerns: some conclusions drawn from evolutionary psychology support controversial and outdated ideas especially regarding gender roles - perpetuate stereotypes