evolutionary explanations

Question 1

what is at the basis of evolutionary explanations

Answer 1

survival and reproduction

Question 2

what is sexual competition

Answer 2

male on male aggression for access to female mates to pass on their genes

Question 3

how does sexual competition aid evolution in terms of aggression

Answer 3

males with the genetic aggressive genes, who are more likely to succeed in competition will pass on these genes which will increase in the gene pool over generations, producing aggressive offspring which can outcompete other males

Question 4

what is sexual jealousy

Answer 4

male on female aggression as they are uncertain of paternity

Question 5

what does sexual jealousy put males in risk of

Answer 5

cuckoldry

Question 6

what is cuckoldry

Answer 6

raising a child that isnt genetically your own

Question 7

what is the adaptive function of anti-cuckoldry behaviours

Answer 7

deter a mate (females) from sexual infidelity

Question 8

what have men developed as anti-cuckoldry behaviours

Answer 8

mate retention strategies

Question 9

what are examples of mate-retention strategies

Answer 9

direct guarding and negative inducements

Question 10

what is direct guarding

Answer 10

involves male vigilance over a partner’s behaviour e.g. checking who they’ve been seeing, coming home early, keeping tabs on their whereabouts, installing tracking apps on their mobiles, etc.

Question 11

what is negative inducements

Answer 11

issuing threats and dire consequences for infidelity, involving aggression

Question 12

what did research find in relation to sexual jealousy

Answer 12

Dell:

17% of all murders in the UK were as a result of sexual jealousy

Question 13

what did research find in relation to mate retention strategies

Answer 13

Shackelford:

mate retention strategies have been linked to intimate partner violence (IPV).

men who used guarding or negative inducements were more likely to use physical violence against their partners.

Question 14

what was the procedure of Buss’ study into sexual jealousy

Answer 14

Laboratory experiments
Three studies:

Men and women had to select a situation that would upset them more: sexual infidelity or emotional infidelity.

Physiological responses (heart rate and galvanic skin response) were measured while the participants imagined either sexual or emotional infidelity.

Tested the effects of being in a committed sexual relationship with sexual jealousy.

Question 15

what were the results of Buss’ sexual jealousy research

Answer 15

Results:

Men showed more of a response to sexual infidelity and women emotional infidelity.

Question 16

what can be concluded from Buss’ research

Answer 16

supports evolutionary differences in sexual jealousy between men and women.

men have evolved to protect their partners, jealously, against impregnation by a rival.

Question 17

what are some general criticisms of Buss’ research?

Answer 17

Strengths
Controlled and reliable

Limitations
Forced choice methodological not valid.
Demand characteristics and social desirability.
Cultural variations.

Question 18

other than mates, what is another adaptive function of aggression?

Answer 18

for resources and territory

Question 19

how is aggression in warfare adaptive

Answer 19

displays of aggression and bravery are the most attractive for females

Question 20

what does aggression in warfare also lead to

Answer 20

increased status, become leaders of other males

Question 21

what is a strength of the evolutionary explanation

Answer 21

it is able to explain gender differences

Question 22

how do genders show different aggression?

Answer 22

Campbell (1999):

argues that women’s aggression tends to be more relational, focusing on strategies such as gossiping or social manipulation to maintain social bonds and protect kin.

In contrast, men’s aggression is more often direct and physical, linked to the evolutionary need for physical dominance to secure mates and resources.

Question 23

how do these gender differences align with the evolutionary theory?

Answer 23

differences in aggression between genders are seen as adaptive, with men needing to be physically dominant for survival and obtaining mates and women needing to use more subtle, relational aggression to maintain kinship ties and develop a network to protect her offspring

Question 24

how is this a strength of the evolutionary theory

Answer 24

it offers a useful framework for understanding why men and women may display different forms of aggression

Question 25

however, what is a problem with this explanation being able to explain gender differences

Answer 25

suffers from alpha bias

Question 26

how does the evolutionary explanation suffer from alpha bias

Answer 26

it exaggerates the differences between male and female aggression, suggesting that these differences are biologically hardwired, which may not be the case

Question 27

what explanation may better explain gender differences

Answer 27

social learning

Question 28

how does social learning avoid alpha bias

Answer 28

not assuming that aggression is inherently different or biologically determined between males and females. Instead, it emphasizes the role of the environment and learning processes in shaping how aggression is expressed. While boys and girls may be socialized to express aggression differently (i.e., physical vs. verbal), this is a result of social and cultural factors, not an essential or biological difference between the sexes

Question 29

what does this mean for the evolutionary explanation?

Answer 29

Therefore, SLT may be a more comprehensive explanation than evolutionary theories, as it avoids alpha bias, so it recognizes that aggression can be expressed differently between genders as a result of environmental and cultural influences without relying on rigid, gendered biological assumptions.

Question 30

how can the evolutionary explanation be challenged in terms of culture

Answer 30

suggests that aggression is universal and biologically programmed without acknowledgement of cultural differences

Question 31

what is an example of cultural difference in aggression

Answer 31

Richard Lee (1969): !Kung San society, aggressive behavior is rare in their society, as they emphasize social harmony and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Instead of using physical aggression, the !Kung San typically use humor, negotiation, or peaceful mediation to resolve disputes.

Question 32

what does this cultural example mean for the evolutionary explanation?

Answer 32

challenges the idea that aggression is universally rooted in evolutionary adaptation and highlights the importance of considering cultural factors when explaining aggressive behavior by contrasting to the evolutionary perspective, which would predict that aggression would be more widespread as a survival mechanism to compete for resources or protect one’s status.

Question 33

why is the evolutionary explanation limited

Answer 33

it cannot explain wide scale killings and aggression such as genocides

Question 34

why cant the evolution approach explain genocides

Answer 34

primarily focuses on aggression as an adaptive trait related to competition for resources and mate selection, rather than addressing large-scale, politically driven violence

Question 35

what is an example of a genocide that the evolutionary explanation cannot explain

Answer 35

Rwandan genocide in 1994, where an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in just a few months. the violence was rooted in complex socio-political factors, including ethnic hatred and political manipulation, rather than in an evolutionary drive for survival or reproductive success. evolutionary explanations might suggest aggression is driven by competition for resources, but this framework struggles to account for the organized, widespread violence seen in genocides like the one in Rwanda.

Question 36

how can the frustration-aggression hypothesis explain large scale aggression

Answer 36

aggression is a response to frustration when individuals or groups are blocked from achieving important goals. in the case of the Rwandan genocide, long-standing ethnic tensions, political power struggles, and the frustration of the Hutu majority over perceived economic and social inequalities could have led to a collective sense of frustration, which was then channeled into violent aggression against the Tutsi population.

Question 37

therefore, what does this mean for the evolutionary explanation

Answer 37

FAH theory helps explain how large-scale aggression can arise in response to systemic social and political frustrations, making it a more fitting explanation for genocides than evolutionary aggression theory.