Evolutinary Group Displays - Aggression

Question 1

Why do humans live in groups?

Answer 1

We are more likely to survive as we have protection

Question 2

Why do members of groups often have to preform a group display (aggressive)?

Answer 2

To prove their commitment to the group - the more you have to suffer the greater your apparent commitment

Question 3

What is a lynch mob?

Answer 3

A group of people who kill a person for some assumed offence - often different ethnic groups

Question 4

What is inclusive fitness?

Answer 4

Our own personal fitness as well as the fitness of other people who share our genes

Question 5

How does inclusive fitness explain lynch mobs?

Answer 5

• We share more genes with those of our own ethnic group therefore we ‘favour’ those of our own group and discriminate against others
• If other ethnic groups thrive this might affect the inclusive fitness of our group

Question 6

What is Blalock’s power-threat hypothesis?

Answer 6

As a minority group increase in power the majority group will increase their efforts to remain dominate
- In the USA whites turn to lynch mobs to gain control they feared was being lost

Question 7

How does SSNR fit with lynch mobs?

Answer 7

It may be the case that psychologists are trying to find an excuse for racism

Question 8

Why is the explanation for group displays being to protect genes too simple?

Answer 8

There are many social/cultural/historical explanations for such behaviour

Question 9

What did Mullen do surrounding lynch mobs?

Answer 9

Analysed newspaper reports of lynching

Question 10

What did Mullen find as what does this suggest?

Answer 10

As the size of the mob increased so did the level of violence.
- in a large crowd people are more anonymous, loose their ability to regulate their own behaviour = more aggressive
BUT does not explain why the crowd got together

Question 11

What did Leader do surrounding lynch mobs?

Answer 11

Analysed newspaper reports and photographic records

Question 12

What did Leader find?

Answer 12

Lynch mob atrocity did not increase as a function of the relative numbers of African Americans in the population BUT did increase as a function of the relative numbers of mob members

Question 13

How does Leader’s study go against the power threat hypothesis?

Answer 13

As this suggests that as population grew lynching should have increased

Question 14

What did Sosis et al 2007 do surrounding cultural rituals?

Answer 14

Collected data from the Human Relations Area Files electronic databases (eHRAF) to see why males in some societies endure painful rites and why the is absent in other societies

Question 15

What did Sosis et al 2007 find? (3 points)

Answer 15

• Rites were carried out to show commitment to the group not to signal mate quality
• Males in society that engage in warfare endure the costliest rights
• Wether wars are fought between different groups or in the same group determined whether there were permanent visible marks

Question 16

How can N/N and PAS be associated with Sosis 2007 study?

Answer 16

• N/N: Cant prove that males are going these displays due to evolution, it may be due to SLT
• PAS: Secondary data was used, created by other people so don’t know the quality

Question 17

What did Sosis 2003 find?

Answer 17

Studied historical data on 19th Century U.S communes. Found that the more costly the rituals and taboos that were carried out allowed the groups to survive longer and helped them to form and cooperate.