Chapter 8 Flashcards
inclusive fitness theory
- The modern evolutionary theory based on differential gene reproduction
- “inclusive” part refers to the fact that the characteristics that facilitate reproduction
need not affect the personal production of offspring –> can affect the survival and reproduction of genetic
relatives as well
adaptive problem
anything that impedes survival or reproduction, or anything whose solution increases the odds of survival or
reproduction
key criteria in recognizing the special design of an adaptation
efficiency, precision, reliability in solving adaptive problems
evolutionary byproducts
incidental effects that are not properly considered to be adaptations (e.g. using nose to hold up glasses, not to smell)
byproducts of adaptations
The evolutionary process also produces things that are not adaptations
Sex Differences
- males and females will be the same or similar in domains in which the sexes have faced the same or similar adaptive problems. Both sexes have sweat glands because both sexes have faced the adaptive problem of thermal regulation
- In other domains, males and females have faced substantially different adaptive problems over human evolutionary history. Females have faced the problem of childbirth; males have not.
effective polygyny
Among males, a few males will father multiple offspring, whereas some will have none at all
sexually dimorphic
highly different in size and structure
four explanations for individual differences
- result of environmental differences acting on species-typical (human nature) psychological mechanisms
- contingencies among traits –> temper may be advantageous if one is big and strong but not if one is small and weak
- frequency–dependent selection: the process whereby the reproductive success (fitness) of a trait depends on its frequency relative to other traits in the population
- optimum level of a personality trait
can vary over time and space
reactively heritable
a secondary consequence of heritable trait, not directly heritable
