Evolutionary Psychology

Question 1

Homology and Convergence

Answer 1

Homology means the evolution of the same structure (similar features) in species evolved from ancestors. Convergent means two or more distinct species share traits but do not come from the common ancestors.

Homologous structures:
Similar structure, Differing function, from a common ancestor
Analogous Structures:
Differing structure, similar function, not from common ancestors

Homology develops homologous structures while convergent evolution develops analogous structure

Question 2

4 Things Natural Selection requires

Answer 2

Variation
Heritable (mutation)
Design differences
Competition

Question 3

Difference between domain general and specific cognition (Types of Intelligence)

Answer 3

Domain specific - specific to a particular domain

Domain General - two senses : range of context ; integrates information across different domains.

Question 4

Genotype

Answer 4

(What is inherited) -nature
The set of DNA molecule contained in nucleus
A genotype particular to a trait

Question 5

Phenotype

Answer 5

(What develops) - observable trait that develops due to nature or nurture.
- An organism’s physiology, anatomy, behaviour

Question 6

Chromosome

Answer 6

Is the strand of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the nucleus of the cell.

Question 7

Gene

Answer 7

A section of DNA that codifies specific protein.

Question 8

Allele

Answer 8

Different (alternative) forms of the same genes (different traits). Can be dominant or recessive.

Question 9

Locus

Answer 9

Position of a gene on a chromosome

Question 10

Homozygous

Answer 10

When an organism possesses 2 identical alleles for a particular trait.

Question 11

Heterozygous

Answer 11

When an organism possesses 2 different alleles for a particular trait.

Question 12

Dominant

Answer 12

An allele that manifests its effects in both heterozygotes and homozygotes. (Has the dominant effect over recessive (even being single)). - The CAPITAL

Question 13

Recessive

Answer 13

An allele that only manifests an effect in homozygotes (when double recessive allele)
The small

Question 14

Polygenic Inheritance

Answer 14

A trait whose phenotypic expression is influenced by many genes. (Psychological traits)

Question 15

Maturation

Answer 15

The process that produces genetically programmed changes with increasing age.

Question 16

Heritability

Answer 16

Heritability is a measure of how well differences in people’s genes account for the differences in their traits. Trait can include characteristics such as height, eye colour, and intelligence, as well as disorders like schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.
H2 = how much of the variation in a given trait can be attributed to genetic variation.
0-1 range
0= environmental trait
1= traits coming from genetic differences
Assumes additivity that the genotype and environment “add up” the same way in all situations

Question 17

Monozygotic

Answer 17

Identical (fertilisation of one egg splitting in two)

Question 18

Dizygotic

Answer 18

Unidentical twin - two separated egg fertilised during pregnancy.

Question 19

Flynn effect

Answer 19

The tendency of IQ to change overtime, specifically, the apparent increase in intelligence in the general population evidenced by a steady increase in IQ scores. NOTICED by James Flynn

Question 20

Maliability

Answer 20

Hh

Question 21

Nature and Nurture.

Answer 21

Nature is a phenotype, or trait that naturally and genetically existed in a creature. Nurture is where the trait is developed and affected by the environment.

Question 22

IQ in Psychology

Answer 22

Questions whether IQ is heritably genetic.
Herrnstein & Murray argues that the major differences between ethnic group affects the classes in IQ
- IQ is heritable and cannot be changed 
Therefore concluding that ethnic and class differences are genetic and cannot or should not be changed.

Question 23

WEIRD society

Answer 23

Western, Educational, Industrial, Rich, Democratic

Question 24

Explain why culture matters to psychologists

Answer 24

Culture matters to psychology as it is the core identity of a person, their belief, value and the way they interpret or see the world. Understanding culture is the key to understanding what aid one creature or human requires.

Question 25

How is culture transmitted and attributive to our survival?

Answer 25

Culture is transmitted through how human learn from society or behave according to the society’s standard or convention. “Culture is transmitted through SOCIAL LEARNING.” 80% of our skills were learned from parents.
Culture is adaptive through conforming with the societal majority “Conformist Bias”. Adaptation of copying the successful “Prestige bias”. We somehow overly imitate a behaviour despite being irrelevant.

Question 26

What is the importance of culture to human adaptation?

Answer 26

Culture’s importance to human adaptation plays as the model for the humans to learn through imitation such as adopting conformity or successful.

Question 27

How does culture evolve?

Answer 27

Through culture replicators, we copy, adapt and memes - “propagate…by leaping from brain to brain by process which broadly means imitating”

Question 28

How does cultural evolution explain features of religion?

Answer 28

Cultural evolution interprets religion as a meme for replicating mission, exhortations of belief that we multiply, go to heaven and hell. Prohibiting us to do bad things.

Question 29

Three requirement for evolution by natural selection

Answer 29

Variation- Different individuals in a population have different morphologies, physiologies and behaviour
Heritability - There is a correlation between parents and offspring in the contribution fo each to future generations.
Different Fitness - If resources [that] are limiting different phenotype have different rate of survival and reproduction in different environments.

Question 30

Darwinizing culture

Answer 30

…

Question 31

PKU - Phenylketonuria

Answer 31

Inborn (genotype) metabolic disorder

Question 32

The selfish meme

Answer 32

Culture replicator. It enhances or reduces our chances of survival.