Developmental Psych - evolution Flashcards
What two ways did animals evolve aggression (through natural selection)?
Guarding your partner:
mate retention strategies are aggressive behaviours men use to keep partners and prevent them from straying.
Guarding your offspring:
Parents direct aggressive acts towards other people (or animals) who threaten their children. Aggression protects parents ‘investment’ and is one of very few situations where females are as aggressive as males.
Outline the process of natural selection?
After generations of small differences, there are individuals who are different from their predecessors through natural selection. Survival of the fittest where the fittest are those with characteristics that best match demands of an ever changing environment to maximise their reproductive chances
The most useful alleles of genes that aid survival and reproduction are the ones that remain, over time their allele frequency in the species increases
Why does variation arise?
Genes from parents are combined and there are mutations in genes
What happens to organisms that fail to reproduce (or have less reproductive success)?
Their genes eventually fade out of the gene pool as their alleles are less advantageous in terms of survival and reproduction
Outline sexual selection?
Sexual selection explains why characteristically that may appear disadvantageous actually confer an advantage- the characteristics are attractive to potential mates
E.g. peacock tails are a heavy, bright target for predators but it is attractive to females (sign of genetic fitness as they carry a burden yet survive) so the genes that are disadvantageous in a sense are passed on
Other than guarding partner and offspring, why is aggression naturally selected during evolution of a species?
It allows the organism to fend off reproductive rivals
Strength of evolution (developmental psychology of aggression)?
Evolutionary theory can explain gender differences in aggression
How does evolutionary theory explain gender differences in aggression? +CA
Cooperative females are likely to be naturally selected as cooperation protects them and their offspring as a group (reduced aggression is selected)
In contrast, aggressive males are more likely to be naturally selected as they make better hunters
CA: evolutionary explanations are uncertain as you can’t test them directly. Best bet is correlational research (mate retention behaviours and aggression) no cause and effect + intervening variables?
Weakness of evolution (development psycho of aggression)?
Evolutionary theory can’t explain cultural differences
In what sense does evolutionary theory not explain cultural differences?
E.g amongst the KUNG SAN people of Kalagori in southern Africa, aggression is discouraged from childhood- so it is rare
In contrast, the YANOMAMI of Venezuela are described as ‘the fierce people’s and aggression is an accepted behaviour to gain status in the structural society
Demonstrates that aggression isn’t universal, suggests innately determined behaviour can be outweighed by cultural norms so level of aggression isn’t largely defined by evolutionary theory
Application of evolutionary theory to understand human relationships?
Buss 1989 found in 33 countries, males preferred younger, more attracted and chaste women (improved reproductive success as more likely to be fertile)
Females preferred older, wealthier and ambitious or hard working men (enhances reproductive success as their children are well supported)
Evidences the logic of evolutionary theory and provides insight into complexities of human sexual relations
