Evolutionary Psychology

Question 1

Classical Fitness.

Answer 1

Measure of an individual’s ability for direct reproductive success.

Question 2

Inclusive Fitness.

Answer 2

Measure of an individual’s ability for both direct and indirect reproductive success (e.g. helping share genetic material through care).

Question 3

Adaptations Definition.

Answer 3

Inherited characteristics that emerged through natural selection because they aided problem solving related to survival or reproduction.

Question 4

By-Products Definition.

Answer 4

Characteristics that do not solve adaptive problems and do not have functional design, coupled to adaptations.

Question 5

Noise Definition.

Answer 5

Random effects produced by chance mutations that do not affect survival or reproductive success.

Question 6

EP Components.

Answer 6

Evolutionary Biology and Cognitive Psychology.

Question 7

Standard Social Science Model.

Answer 7

SSSM states human behaviour is determined by culture, humans born with nothing but a few reflexes and the ability to learn, learning is a general-purpose process used in all domains of knowledge (children learn how to behaviour in their culture through imitation, reward and punishment).

Question 8

Evolution Definition.

Answer 8

Descent with Modification - change in frequencies of hereditary characteristics across generations in a lineage.

Question 9

Evolutionary Psychology Overview.

Answer 9

Behaviour is a function of psychological mechanisms and input to those mechanisms. Rejects ‘blank slate’; innate psychological mechanisms originating from evolutionary process. Mind consists of many domain-specific information processing modules (evolved psychological mechanism).

Question 10

Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness.

Answer 10

Natural selection designed our mins to deal with adaptive problems our ancient ancestors faced (1.8million - 10,000 years ago).

Question 11

Ultimate Cause.

Answer 11

The reason why a trait increased fitness in the evolutionary past.

Question 12

Proximate Cause.

Answer 12

The immediate psychological, physiological, biochemical and environmental reasons.

Question 13

Sexual Selection.

Answer 13

Evolution of traits that afford a direct reproductive advantage. Success at intersexual attraction usually female. Success at intrasexual attraction competition usually male.

Question 14

Parental Investment Theory.

Answer 14

The sex that invests more in offspring will be more discrimination about who they mate. The sex that invests less will compete more vigorously for access to valuable high-investing members of opposite sex.

Question 15

Adaptive Problems of Males in Short-Term Mating.

Answer 15

Finding enough sexually accessible, fertile partners. Minimising cost, risk and investment of being ‘caught up’.

Question 16

Buss & Schmitt (1993) Male Mating Predictions.

Answer 16

Men will express greater desire for short-term mates than women, men will desire a greater number of short-term mates, men’s preferences in short term mating context will reflect adaptive problems (sex appeal, good looking, physically attractive).

Question 17

Clark & Hatfield (1987) Male Mating Prediction.

Answer 17

In short-term mating context, men will be more willing to engage in intercourse after less time than will women.

Question 18

Adaptive Problems for Long-Term Female Mating.

Answer 18

Find men able and willing to invest, men who can offer physical protection and commitment, men with good gene quality and good parenting skills.

Question 19

Buss & Schmitt (1983) Female Mating Predictions.

Answer 19

In a long-term context women more than men will desire cues to potential mate’s ability to acquire resources (ambition, good earning capacity etc.).

Question 20

Buss (1989) Financial Prospects Evaluation.

Answer 20

Women consistently rate financial prospects in a long-term mate more important than men. However, low socio-economic status groups high under-represented, sex differences diminishes as economic inequality diminishes.

Question 21

Modularity Challenge.

Answer 21

Many advocates suppose peripheral processes are modular but not central, cognitive processes. Evidence that modular specialisation determined over the course of within-individual brain development (history of interaction with environment).

Question 22

Modern Skulls and Stone Age Mind Challenge.

Answer 22

EP framework claims 10,000 years insufficient for ‘new complex designs’ but argument that our brain are adapting continuously. It is not time that is relevant but the amount of change in time.