Group display evolutionary explanation Flashcards
why is being a successful warrior an adaptive trait?
A successful warrior has a higher chance of surviving conflict and has more access to women meaning that he is much more likely to pass on his genes.
Why is it advantageous to use a display of aggression as a detergent?
Deterring the enemy means that both sides will not be exposed to any risk of injury
what is a good example of group display used successfully?
Raid tactics. A large village raiding a smaller village often results in many resources gained and few casualties lost.
why cant modern warfare be explained by the evolutionary theory?
because more casualties are lost than resources gained meaning the behaviour is not an adaptive one.
a lot of people are pacifists. How does the evolutionary theory explain this?
these people have evolved to understand that some conflict has greater cost than benefit.
why does the evolutionary theory have explanatory power?
It can explain why war takes place and why it doesn’t.
How does the evolutionary theory explain why wommen don’t often fight?
this is because women are a precious resource and would be more useful raising young
How is sport a replacemnt for war?
the benefits such as access to women still exist but without the cost of injury or death
what a clear example of group display used as a deterrent in sport?
the Hakka
what did Maxwell and viseck find?
they found that rugby players are more likely to use unsanctioned aggression if they placed more emphasis on winning. the players used illeagle moves without being detected.
why does maxwell and visecks research support the evolutionary theory?
It supports it because agression helps them achieve the reward of winning
what was the main validity issue with Maxwell and visecks research?
that it was a self report questionnaire and could be subject to problems such as social desirability.
how does football hooliganism support the evolutionary theory?
they are using group display to deter others and secure power
How does marsh’s research go against the football hooligan theory?
he conducted observations and found that most of the aggression shown by football fans was symbolic, non serious and harmless. he believes that the aggression is a form of catharsis.
what are the three points that support march’s research?
The aggression shown could just be a safe way safe way of releasing negative emotions. this would support the psycho-dynamic theory more.
Grieve believed that group displays can best be explained in terms of a socialisation process that allows individuals to feel a sense of identity. this theory would support social.
another alternative explanation is that the aggression shown is based of xenophobia. this would have been an adaptive trait because it would help our ancestors stay better safe than sorry.
