Biological Approach - Assumption 1: Evolutionary Influences

Question 1

what is evolution

Answer 1

The gradual change of a species over time and over many generations.

Question 2

who proposed evolution as an idea

Answer 2

Charles Darwin (1859)

Question 3

what behaviours and traits would’ve been adaptive for early humans

Answer 3

• Bipedalism (walk on 2 feet)
  -opposable thumbs (can touch the fingers of the same hand)
• Complex brain (controls what we do)

Question 4

what is the 3 assumptions that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is based on

Answer 4

1. Only a small proportion of each generation survives to reproduce
2. Offspring aren’t identical to their parents, each generation has a degree of variation. And that at least some of this variation is heritable
3. Some characteristics give the animal an advantage over others in this ability to survive and reproduce

Question 5

describe natural selection

Answer 5

• characteristics that give an animal a better chance at survival and reproduction are ADAPTIVE
• therefore animal is better adapted to the environment, more likely to survive, reproduce, passing these adaptive genes to offspring

Question 6

what is the EEA

Answer 6

• Environment of evolutionary adaptedness
• its the environment in which the brain evolved

Question 7

when did humans begin evolving

Answer 7

2 million yrs ago

Question 8

when is it estimated that modern homo sapiens first appeared

Answer 8

100,000 yrs ago

Question 9

How have we evolved psychologically to our environment through Natural selection

Answer 9

• Biological preparedness
• Fight or flight
• Understanding conflict

Question 10

what is Biological preparedness

Answer 10

• through evolution we have phobias
  -keeps us safe from snakes, crocodiles etc

Question 11

What’s the example from psychology

Answer 11

• Mating preference
• Trivers claimed that the formation of romantic relationships is driven by how each sex has a different level of investment in ensuring their offspring’s survival.
• Females carry the offspring so they have the larger investment in terms of the risks to their health when carrying and looking after a baby. They look for a male with ambition, shelter and high earning capacity for her and her child.
• Men do not invest much in their offspring. They can have many children with many different women in a very short space of time compared to women. Therefore, males look for fertile, youthful women to have a baby with.