Evolutionary perspectives on personality

Question 1

What is natural selection?

Answer 1

Traits that help survival and reproduction become more common over generations.

Question 2

What is sexual selection?

Answer 2

Traits evolve because they provide an advantage in attracting mates.

Question 3

What are the two types of sexual selection?

Answer 3

Intrasexual competition (within same sex) and intersexual selection (mate choice).

Question 4

What is inclusive fitness?

Answer 4

Your own reproductive success plus effects on the survival of genetic relatives.

Question 5

What are the three products of evolution?

Answer 5

Adaptations, byproducts, and noise (random variation).

Question 6

What is an adaptation?

Answer 6

A reliably developing trait that solves an evolutionary problem.

Question 7

What is domain specificity?

Answer 7

Adaptations are tailored to specific problems (e.g., mate selection ≠ food selection).

Question 8

What is an evolutionary mismatch?

Answer 8

A once-adaptive trait that is no longer useful in the modern world.

Question 9

What is the ‘need to belong’ hypothesis?

Answer 9

Humans evolved to avoid exclusion and maintain group membership.

Question 10

What is social anxiety from an evolutionary lens?

Answer 10

A mechanism to prevent exclusion from the group.

Question 11

What is kin selection theory?

Answer 11

We are more likely to help close relatives because it enhances inclusive fitness.

Question 12

What is reciprocal altruism?

Answer 12

Helping non-relatives with expectation of return help later.

Question 13

Who do we help more in life-or-death scenarios?

Answer 13

Younger and closer kin.

Question 14

What emotions are universally recognized?

Answer 14

Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, and contempt.

Question 15

What is the manipulation hypothesis?

Answer 15

Emotions evolved to influence others (e.g., rage adds credibility to threats).

Question 16

Why do men get more upset by sexual infidelity?

Answer 16

Paternity uncertainty threatens reproductive success.

Question 17

Why do women get more upset by emotional infidelity?

Answer 17

It signals risk of losing a mate’s resources and investment.

Question 18

What is the mate deprivation hypothesis?

Answer 18

Men who lack sexual access become more aggressive—not supported by evidence.

Question 19

How do men and women differ in desire for sexual variety?

Answer 19

Men desire more partners across time and cultures.

Question 20

What do men and women value in long-term mates?

Answer 20

Men prioritize physical attractiveness; women prioritize financial prospects and dependability.

Question 21

What is the main challenge for evolutionary psychologists when studying individual differences?

Answer 21

There is less conceptual and empirical foundation for adaptive individual differences compared to sex differences.

Question 22

How does environmental variation contribute to individual psychological differences?

Answer 22

Environmental differences activate species-typical psychological mechanisms to different degrees, leading to individual differences.

Question 23

What analogy is used to explain environmental effects on psychological mechanisms?

Answer 23

Callus formation—everyone has callus-producing mechanisms, but individual exposure to friction varies.

Question 24

What is an example of a psychological trait influenced by environmental triggers?

Answer 24

Jealousy can be influenced by cues to infidelity or the presence of mate poachers.

Question 25

What is meant by contingencies among traits in explaining individual differences?

Answer 25

Traits may be advantageous depending on other traits a person has, e.g., a hair-trigger temper being useful if someone is big and strong.

Question 26

What is frequency–dependent selection?

Answer 26

A trait’s success depends on its frequency relative to other traits in the population.

Question 27

How can changing environments over time or space lead to personality variation?

Answer 27

Different traits are optimal in different conditions (e.g., risk-taking is advantageous during food scarcity).

Question 28

What theory links father absence to early sexual maturation and short-term mating strategies?

Answer 28

The theory by Belsky, Steinberg, and Draper (1991), which suggests early father absence triggers short-term mating strategies.

Question 29

What is reactive heritability?

Answer 29

When a personality trait (like aggression) is a consequence of heritable traits (like body build), not directly heritable itself.

Question 30

How does physical strength relate to personality traits like aggression and extraversion?

Answer 30

Stronger individuals are more likely to be aggressive, extraverted, and assume leadership roles.

Question 31

What are the two female mating strategies proposed in evolutionary psychology?

Answer 31

Restricted (delayed intercourse, long-term commitment) and unrestricted (short-term, gene-focused strategy).

Question 32

What determines the success of restricted vs. unrestricted mating strategies in women?

Answer 32

Their frequency in the population; the more common a strategy, the less successful it becomes.

Question 33

How is psychopathy explained through frequency–dependent selection?

Answer 33

Psychopaths use cheating strategies that work until they become too common and are punished by others.

Question 34

What traits define psychopathy in this context?

Answer 34

Egocentrism, impulsivity, superficial charm, lack of guilt/empathy, and unreliable behavior.

Question 35

What is life history theory in evolutionary psychology?

Answer 35

It explains personality differences through trade-offs in investment in survival, mating, and parenting (e.g., K-strategy vs. fast strategy).

Question 36

What characterizes individuals with a fast life history strategy?

Answer 36

Risk-taking, weak family attachments, short-term mating, low parenting investment.

Question 37

How do evolutionary psychologists view the Big Five traits?

Answer 37

As motivational reactions to solving adaptive problems (e.g., Agreeableness = cooperation vs. selfishness).

Question 38

What is balancing selection?

Answer 38

When different levels of a trait are adaptive in different environments, maintaining genetic variation.

Question 39

What is the role of ‘difference-detecting mechanisms’ in personality?

Answer 39

Evolved tendencies to notice traits in others that are useful for solving adaptive social problems.

Question 40

What is a key limitation of evolutionary psychology?

Answer 40

Difficulty knowing exact ancestral environments and the selective pressures they involved.