9 - EVOLUTION AND PSYCHOLOGY

Question 1

parental investment theory

Answer 1

• males compete for females
• females invest more in offspring
• females would want the best possible mate
• one with resources to invest into the offspring
• males might just want productively viable females (young enough)
• female = limiting sex
• so invest more in offspring
• can only be pregnant at once but males can i’m pregnant many at once

Question 2

grandparental investment

Answer 2

• maternal grandmothers consistently provide more resources for grandchildren than paternal grandfathers
• maternal = more maternal certainty
• fathers = paternal uncertainty
• bishop et al (2009)
• MoMo > MoFa > FaMo > FaFa
• alternative exp = mother may spend more time with child and therefore grandchild

Question 3

cinderella effect

Answer 3

• stepparents (on average) more dangerous than genetic parents (murder/abuse)

daly and wilson (2001)

• 2.6 per million (genetic)
• 321.5 per million (step)
• 100 fold increase in stepfathers killing step children

Question 4

young male syndrome

Answer 4

• males risk more to gain offspring
• take more risks when around other males
• well evidenced that men take more risks
• marriage reduces male risk taking
• pacifying effect
• suicide terrorists = 84.2% unmarried
• non-suicide terrorists = 60% unmarried
• 97.3-98.7% male
  ^ Pedahzur et al (2010)
• relates to parental investment theory
• in our evolutionary history (not just humans)
• males not only win battles, but they win mates

Question 5

statement:

females risk less with offspring

Answer 5

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Question 6

who should take more risks?

Answer 6

• if women basically guaranteed a sexual partner, whilst men must compete for women (in a polygamous society as likely to occur in our evolutionary past) then men must compete for mates
• parental investment theory

Question 7

what does BART stand for

Answer 7

• Balloon analogue risk task

- test risk taking behaviour

Question 8

application of evolution to psychology

Answer 8

• involves understanding how our past influences our future
• our entire evolutionary history
• eg having a spine = from ancestors who has internal architecture
• behaviour / mind = assisted to EEA
• but adaptation is much older

Question 9

what is the time that defines human evolution?

Answer 9

50-200 thousand years ago

• humans lived in small polygamous group (one husband, many wives)
• used tools and hunted
• often suffered from the environment

Question 10

statement:

many potential explanations for these behaviours etc

• many competing ideas in these approaches
• many haven’t been empirically tested

Answer 10

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Question 11

EEA

Answer 11

= The environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA) refers to a group of selection pressures occurring during an adaptation’s period of evolution responsible for producing the adaptation