Human Behavior Ecology examines how – factors influence and shape behavioral flexibility within and between populations
ecological and social
– is the result of complex interaction between biology and environment
behavior
HBE assumes behavior is quite –
flexible
behavior is – dependent
context
the study of human adaptation to the social and physical environment
cultural ecology
evolution and adaptive design in ecological context
ethology/evolutionary ecology
– are the theoretical underpinnings of HBE
cultural ecology and ethology
nature of human activity controlled by parameters of physical world
determinists
determinists view humans as – agents
passive
the environment sets some constraints but cultural diversity is largely determined by man’s actions
possibilists
possibilists view humans as – agents
active
cultural ecology lacks a strong – from which to derive hypotheses
theoretical basis
cultural ecology is mainly –
correlational
the study of ethology became prominent in the –
1950s
ethology, study of animal behavior focused on – behavior
instinctual
shared the nobel prize in Physiology with von Frisch for their work on social behavior patterns in animals
Tinbergen and Lorenz
Tinbergen’s Question: What are the mechanisms that – behavior?
cause
Tinbergen’s Question: How does the behavior – in the individual?
develop (ontogeny)
Tinbergen’s Question: How has the behavior – How does the behavior compare to that found in related species?
evolve
Tinbergen’s Question: What is the survival value of the behavior?
adaptive function
– cause is what enables the organism to manifest the behavior
proximate
– cause is how and why the behavior came to be
ultimate
Cultural ecology and Theory of Culture Change
Steward
Why does ecology affect behavior?
natural selection
proximate cause is the – mechanism or stimulus that initiates or triggers a pattern of behavior
immediate
What causes birds to fly south for the winter? They sense and respond to environmental cues such as shortened day length
proximate cause
What causes birds to fly south for the winter? There is more food further south in the winter
ultimate cause
ultimate cause is the explanation that reveals the – of a trait
adaptive value
What are the mechanisms that cause declines in fertility? – cause
proximate
What (if any) is the adaptive function of a decline in average fertility? – cause
ultimate
E.O. Wilson’ – includes principles of population biology, kin selection, animal communication, social species, and humans
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
Wilson claimed that there is a – to all human social behavior
biological basis
Wilson claimed that Biology is primary, culture and environment are layered on top. All – is linked to biology
social behavior
Wilson’s claim is more on the – side
deterministic
Wilson’s claim reignited – debates
nature/nurture
Genetic basis to human behavior
genetic determinism
T/F: Genetic determinism led to outcries about links to eugenics, racism, sexism etc.
true
Sahlin’s believed that human behavior is – from biological implications (pro-nature)
exempt
Behavior is influenced either by biology or culture is a –
false dichotomy
Biology and environment/culture interact— – is a product of both.
behavior
Three main approaches to the study of human behavior using an evolutionary perspective are Human Behavioral Ecology, Evolutionary Psychology, and –
Dual Inheritance Theory
Explanatory Focus of HBE
behavioral strategies
Explanatory Focus of Evolutionary psychology
psychological mechanisms
Explanatory Focus of Dual inheritance theory
cultural change (evolution)
Hypothesized Temporal Scale for adaptive change for HBE
short-term (phenotypic)
Hypothesized Temporal Scale for adaptive change for evolutionary psychology
long-term (genetic)
Hypothesized Temporal Scale for adaptive change for dual inheritance theory
medium-term (cultural)
Expected Current Adaptiveness for HBE
highest
Expected Current Adaptiveness for evolutionary psychology
lowest
Expected Current Adaptiveness for dual inheritance theory
intermediate
a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism and which is maintained and evolved via natural selection
adaptation
Adaptations are critical to – = survival and reproduction
fitness
– can occur through multiple processes: mutation, drift, gene flow
evolution
Only – can produce directional change and complex adaptive design
natural selection
Basic principles of natural selection are used to derive testable predictions
hypothetico-deductive research strategy
a criticism (yet strength) of hypothetico-deductive research strategy is that it is fairly – as it looks for main effects
reductionist
hypothetico-deductive research strategy always take – into account
context (mixed of methods such as surveys, interviews, participant observation)
On average, in context X do A and in context Y do B
conditional strategies
The more complex the socioecological environmental, the more behavioral – there are.
alternatives
conditional strategies are not rigid determinism, but – behavioral response (within limits)
flexible
Genetics underlies human behavior and physiology
phenotypic gambit
HBE is interested in the – that shape particular traits, rather than in knowing the specific genes that are associated with it
selective forces
– is a major selective force in shaping traits (other is culture)
Ecology
Human behavior has a high amount of phenotypic –.
plasticity
the physical expression of a trait, resulting from both genes and environment (e.g. eye color)
phenotype
capable of being shaped or formed
plasticity
is the ability of an individual to change its physiology, morphology and/or behavior in response to a change in the environmental conditions.
phenotypic plasticity
The ability to be plastic is an–
adaptation
major areas of HBE research include: –
• Resource transfers and cooperation
• Mating and parenting strategies
• Life history decisions
Resource acquisition
HBE focuses largely on measuring and analyzing – occurring behavior
naturally (What people are actually doing in their everyday lives)
T/F: HBE Focus is on tracking behavior across a number of individuals, instead of focusing on the life story of a single person or small few
true
tracking a single individual for an extended period (20 min – 12 hours)
focal follow
tracking of behavior at particular (randomly chosen) moments
instantaneous scans
An inventory of behaviors or actions exhibited by an animal (used in animal behavior studies of non- humans as well)
ethograms
time allocation are –than retrospective
accounts of behavior
More reliable
Random spot checks (instantaneous scans) can provide a large amount of data while minimizing –
costs
instantaneous scans
• Can study longer periods (multiple seasons)
• Larger – than with interviews
samples sizes
T/F: time allocation is very labor intensive
true
Issues with time allocation
• Coding takes additional time upon return from the field
• Time for Acclimation
• Codes alone do not provide much – about behavior
context
Issues with time allocation
• Dealing with Absence:
• How do you record the activities of those who were not present at the time of a scan?
• Record nothing?
• Retrospective questioning?
• Third party accounts?
–
• Depending on location of sampling (e.g. social event), certain types of people (e.g. loners) may be underrepresented
• Private activities may be underreported (e.g. sex)
Sampling Bias:
T/F: Individual Interviews can yield both quantitative and qualitative data
true
- Topic-focused (often used early in a study)
- Semi-structured or unstructured
- Builds dialogue and response
focus groups
Participants may disproportionately remember certain types of events
recall bias
Some topics are difficult to discuss and may be more likely to elicit non- response or false responses
subject sensitivity
- Who is currently in residence? (name, sex, age)
* Who is typically in residence?
residence groups
Hunting partnerships, ritual participation
ephemeral groups
Interview living members about previous group composition (often done with physical aids like photographs or other documents)
historical groups
HBE is heavily reliant on – observation in order to understand cultural complexity and nuance in human behavior in particular contexts
participant
Predictions derived from evolutionary theory
hypothesis testing
common dating analysis “Hunting success is positively associated with having more surviving children.”
correlational data
rare dating analysis Putting a child into fosterage leads to increased fertility later in life
causal links
T/F: HBE focuses on responses to hypothetical scenarios
false
T/F: HBE focuses on behavioral lab experiments
false
T/F: scans are easier than follows
true
– data include marital and reproductive histories, recall/time diaries, social networks
quantitative
– data include detailed data and context about an event/decision and nuanced responses (rather than yes-no answers)
qualitative
focus groups contain – individuals
3-6
issues with census data – persons
missing
Tinbergen’s Four Questions focused on causation, – , evolution, and adaptive function
ontogeny