How Evolution/natural Selction Explains Aggression And Human Reproductive Behaviour

Question 1

What is evolution?

Answer 1

How inherited characteristics in organisms change from generations.
Changes in inherited characteristics leads to differentiation within a species through natural selection.

Question 2

What are genes and the two types +definitions?
What do genes contain sets of?

Answer 2

Genes:units that contain DNA carrying info from one generation to another.
Dominant genes:leads to certain characteristics
Recessive genes:needs more than one copy to produce characteristics

Genes contain sets of instructions.

Question 3

What is a genotype and phenotype?

Answer 3

Genotype: genetic constitution.
Phenotype:what the individual becomes.

Question 4

What is natural selection and survival of the fittest?
What else can account for a change in species?

Answer 4

Genes that aid survival are passed on as their parents are living to a reproductive age.
Organisms better adapted to their environment are healthier liver longer ans reproduce more frequently passing on genes that made them fit to their offspring spring.

Genetic mutations can also account for a change in species

Question 5

What are heritable traits?

Answer 5

Many characteristics have a genetic tendency combined with experiences in the environment

Question 6

What is kin selection?

Answer 6

When one individuals genes are being passed on if that individual survived to reproduce.

Eg:animals can save their group by calling out to warn danger but they are riddling their life by calling out

Question 7

What is direct fitness?

Answer 7

When a gene gives a characteristic that benefits survival of the fittest

Question 8

What is fitness (evolutionary terms)

Answer 8

Measure of animals ability to pass on its genes

Question 9

What is adaptation?

Answer 9

Physical features or behaviours is said to be adapted to an environment in that it has been tested more its suitability to that environment

Question 10

What is mutation?

Answer 10

A change in genetic structure of an animal/plant that makes it different from others of the same cord

Question 11

What is sexual selection?

Answer 11

A form of natural selection: individuals that are successful in attracting a mate

Question 12

How does evolution explain aggression in males?

Answer 12

A male ancestors concern was to find a mate and maintain influence over her.
Aggressive behaviour was adaptive to prevent the female from leaving.
This may be why males today experience sexual jealousy.

Question 13

How does evolution explain aggression in general?

Answer 13

Aggression is an emotion that led to survival in certain environments, such as aggressive displays to protect a mate/offspring.
Aggressive behaviours that aid the survival of genes would survive and be passed on to offspring

Question 14

Why might males choose to mate with as many females as possible?

Answer 14

Males can produce many sperm and have the biological potential to father offspring, so mating with multiple women increases their chances of passing on their gene.

Question 15

Why might females be more discriminatory of their choice of partner?

Answer 15

Females mat prioritise partners who can provide resources and stability.

Question 16

What dies aggression as an innate response suggest?
How does this link to ancestors and male ancestors?

Answer 16

That humans are aggressive because of a process of natural selection.

Ancestors passed on their aggressive traits to their offspring through their genes.. they needed to use aggression to defend themselves and their children from predators and to catch food.

Male ancestors were aggressive to compete and eliminate male competition to ensure reproductive success.

Question 17

Positive evaluation of evolutionary theory.

Answer 17

The theory uses scientific methods in many ways. It reduces behaviour to genetic influences allowing the focus of research to be an individuals genotype.
Darwin used careful observations to form his ideas;he reduced to down to observable features and supported his work with evidence from fossils and pictures of changes in species.

Question 18

Negative evaluation of evolutionary theory.

Answer 18

The theory is criticised by psychologists for being deterministic.
The theory fails to consider role of free will of individuals by assuming behaviours (aggression) are innate and we have no choice in how we behave.
This is unlikely to be the case as humans have choices over our behaviours.

Question 19

Evaluation of the role of evolution and natural selection in aggression-BUSS

Answer 19

He used a sample of 37 different cultures and found that in 36/37 cultures, males valued physical attractiveness as more important than females.
Females in all cultures preferred males who were older, whilst men preferred women younger.

This supports the idea that these preferences are not just culturally scientific but might be rooted in our biology and evolutionary history supporting the idea that certain traits in males are universally valued for reproductive success.

Question 20

Evaluation of the role of evolution and natural selection in aggressive using Darwins scientific methods.

What does applying the scientific method to aggression allow?

Answer 20

He used the scientific method to develop his theory through careful observations, data collection and testing ideas. He kept detailed notes on how species adapt over time leading him to propose the idea that species adapt to their environment over tike through tnatural selection.

Darwins use of hypothesis testing allowed a solid evidence based foundation for his ideas.
Applying the scientific method to aggression allows researchers to gather real world evidence to support evolutionary explanation of aggressive behaviour.

Question 21

Evaluation of the role of evolution and natural selection in aggression- harris (2002)

Answer 21

He found contradictory evidence:men and women, regardless of their sexuality, an average focused more on a mares emotional infidelity than on a mates sexual infidelity.

This challenges the evolutionary explanation by suggesting that concerns about infidelity are not entirely driven by biological mechanisms for reproductive success.