Chapter 5: Genes, Culture, and Gender Flashcards
What is “evolutionary psychology”?
The study of the evolution of cognition and behavior using principles of natural selection
Evolutionary psychology studies how natural selection also predisposes psychological traits and social behaviors that enhance the preservation and spread of one’s genes
What is meant by culture?
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
What are “norms,” and how do they influence our behavior?
Standards for accepted and expected behavior.
Norms prescribe “proper” behavior. (In a different sense of the word, norms also describe what most others do - what is normal)
What is “personal space,” and how does that relate to cultural differences?
The buffer zone we would like to maintain around our bodies. It’s size depends on our culture and our familiarity with whoever is near us.
Americans prefer 4 feet or more of personal space between strangers.
What are major cultural similarities?
People everywhere have some common norms for friendship.
People describe each other with between 2-5 universal personality dimensions. Evaluating others as good or bad appears across most cultures.
All cultures have norms, and evaluate how well others follow those norms.
There are five universal dimensions of social beliefs (cynicism, social complexity, reward for application, spirituality and fate control)
Every society disapproves of incest.
What is meant by “independence vs. connectedness” when explaining gender differences?
Men were found to be more independent while women focus on connectedness
Women typically do more caring, express more empathy and emotion, and define themselves more in terms of relationships.
How does social dominance explain gender behavior?
Men and women exhibit differing social dominance. In essentially every society, men are more socially dominant.
Men also outnumber women among the most powerless such as prisoners and the homeless.
How are males and females different in aggression?
In every known culture on earth, men are more likely than women to engage in physical aggression. When people are provoked, the gender gap shrinks.
Women are no less aggressive than men, and may even be more aggressive when it comes to less assaultive forms of aggressions (slapping, throwing things, verbal attacks)
How do evolutionary psychologists explain mate preferences?
Nature’s mating game favors males who take sexual initiative towards females, especially those with physical features suggesting fertility, and who seek aggressive dominance in competing with other males
Females who have fewer reproductive changes, place a greater priority in selecting mates offering the resources to protect and nurture their young
Women seek to reproduce wisely, men widely.
How gender roles vary with culture and time?
Gender roles show significant variation from culture to culture and from time to time.
Trends towards more gender equality appear across many cultures and these changes in a short period of time, signal that evolution and biology do not render gender roles unchangeable.
What is meant by “peer transmitted culture?”
Much of cultures influence is transmitted to children by their peers (not only parents)
What does your textbook author mean by the “power” of the situation AND the person?
As social creatures, we respond to our immediate contexts. Sometimes the power of a social situation leads us to act contrary to our expressed attitudes.
Power of the situation would explain our behavior if we were passive but we aren’t. We act, react, respond, and resist.
Social and personal explanations (power of situation and person) are both valid, for at any moment we are both the creatures and the creators of our social worlds
- Social situations do influence individuals, but individuals also influence social situations (the two interact)
Natural selection
The evolutionary process by which heritable traits that best enable organisms to survive and reproduce in particular environments are passed to ensuing generations
What are the five universal dimensions of social beliefs?
Cynicism (power people tend to exploit others)
Social complexity (one has to deal with matters according to the specific circumstances)
Reward for application (one will success if he/she really tries)
Spirituality (religious faith contributes to a good mental health)
Fate control (fate determines one’s success and failures)
How are males and females different in sexual attitudes and behavior?
Men more often think about and initiate sex, where’s women’s sexuality tends to be inspired by emotional passion.
