Aggression - The Ethological And Evolutionary Explanation Of Aggression Flashcards
What is the ethnological explanation of aggression?
Attempts to understand aggression in humans by looking at aggression in other animal species in their natural habitat.
What does it mean to say aggression is adaptive?
It is beneficial for survival.
What is the purpose of aggression in terms of the ethological explanation?
- Enables animals to gain access to resources such as food and protect territory
- Ritualistic
What is an innate releasing mechanism?
The specific set of neurons that produces a fixed action pattern, innate releasing mechanisms lead to fix action patterns which are ritualistic behaviour.
What is a fixed action pattern?
An animate fixed set of behaviour that occur in response to a specific stimuli. This is universal within the species so all members show the same behaviour. It is also ballistic and cannot be stocked once initiated.
What is ritualistic aggression?
Series of behaviours used to threaten other animals without harming them. Human ritualistic behaviours = clenched fist, gritted teeth, and raised voice.
Why have men evolved to be aggressive according to the evolutionary explanation?
This is because prehistorically; aggression was an adaptive behaviour for men that helped them to survive and reproduce. The process of natural selection they have evolved to display aggression.
For what three reasons was aggression adaptive for early men?
- It helped men gain access to women and resources such as food
- It helped men gain dominant over other men
- It helped men to prevent infidelity and ensure they ended up raising their child and avoided cuckoldry.
Why are women more likely to select more aggressive men?
Because they could provide the resources that they need to keep their babies alive.
What is sexual jealousy?
A major motivator of aggressive behaviour in males which can be given and evolutionary explanation.
This drives the often aggressive strategies men employee to retain their partners and prevent them from straying.
Why did methods develop in order to increase anti-cuckoldry?
Because ones who could avoid this were more reproductively successful as their genes were being passed down to their offspring.
What is Cuckoldry?
Raising a child that isn’t genetically theirs.
What are the two mate retention strategies?
Direct guarding
Negative inducements.
