evolutionary explanation of human aggression

Question 1

natural selection - P1, A01

Answer 1

Evolution can explain human aggression today. Natural selection suggests that human aggression arises as a result of those who possess aggressive characteristics and are able to survive because they are able to fight for resources such as food, survive so pass these aggressive genes onto the next generation meaning that they can also survive but develop aggressive traits
the genes which are most useful are retained in the population and over time be more frequent so adaptations take place
one of these adaptions could be to be more aggressive so they are able to fight and obtain food and resources which are key to survival

Question 2

strength of natural selection - P1, A03

Answer 2

one strength of evolutionary theory is that it can explain why males are more aggressive then females
females who are cooperative are likely to be naturally selected because cooperation helps them protect themselves and their offspring as a group
therefore, reduced aggression in females is a desirable characteristic so is passed onto their offspring
in contrast males who are aggressive are more likely to be naturally selected because they make better hunters
evidence from studies of chimpanzees supports this pattern of gender differences
therefore, this is a strength because it explains gender differences in aggression and increases the validity of aggression levels changing through evolution

Question 3

COUNTER ARGUMENT TO strength of natural selection - P1, A03

Answer 3

However, any evolutionary explanation is uncertain because it is impossible to test evolution directly
this is why most research is correlational, for example finding associations between mate retention behaviours and aggression
this method does not allow us to draw cause-and-effect conclusions
because variables are just measured and not manipulated, correlational research can never rule out the effects of other factors on aggressive behaviour

Question 4

sexual selection - P2, A01

Answer 4

Evolution can explain human aggression today. Sexual selection suggests that human aggression arises as a result of desirable traits acting on the success of reproduction
aggression is an adaptive behaviour because it provides an advantage over competitors for reproductive rights, for example, it pays for a male to be aggressive because it allows him to fend off potential reproductive rials
these aggressive characteristics that allowed the animals to reproduce in the first place are passed onto offspring if they are genetically determined and the genes that gave rise to the characteristics remain in the population

Question 5

application of evolutionary theory - P2, A03

Answer 5

one strength of evolutionary theory is that it can help us to understand human relationships as it predicts that we should choose partners who will enhance our reproductive successes
David Buss found that across 33 countries, male preferred younger more attractive and chaste women, presumably because this enhances their reproductive success because such women are more likely to be fertile
Females preferred older, wealthier and ambitious or hard-working men, which is likely to enhance their reproductive success because their children are well-supported
therefore, this supports evolutionary theory because it shows that predicts from the theory are upheld by evidence

Question 6

weakness of evolutionary theory explaining aggression

Answer 6

one weakness of the evolutionary theory of aggression is that there are cultural differences in aggression which the theory cannot explain
for example, amongst the !Kung San people of the Kalahari aggression is discouraged from childhood and is therefore rare
in contrast the Yanomami of Venezuela and Brazil have been described as ‘the fierce people’ - aggression appears to be an accepted behaviour to gain status in their structured society
therefore, these differences in aggression are not universal and suggest that innately determined behaviour can be outweighed by cultural norms

Question 7

alternative explanation for aggression - P3, A01

Answer 7

Bandura’s argues that social learning theory suggests that aggression is learned from watching others and observing the way in which they’re role models behave, if they’re role models behave aggressively they may copy this behaviour and also behave in this way
therefore this alternative explanation offers a different perspective and suggests that aggression may not come from desirable characteristics and genes which are passed onto offspring from mothers and fathers