introduction to evolutionary psychology Flashcards
what was darwin’s theory of evolution?
evolution by natural selection
what is darwin’s definition of fitness?
how good a species is at reproducing
what is darwin’s goal of fitness?
lifetime reproductive success
what did E.O. Wilson focus on?
ultimate causation rather than proximate causation
what did richard dawkins discover?
the selfish gene
what is sociobiology accused of?
biological determinism, reductionism and ‘just so’ storytelling
who disliked sociobiology?
sociologists
who are tooby and cosmides?
they are key evolutionary psychologists
what did tooby and cosmides theorise?
‘the adapted mind’
what are the four key elements of tooby and cosmides’ modular and adaptive school of thought?
modularity of the mind (fodor), cognitive revolution, domain specific ‘mental organs’, innate psychological mechanisms
what is the role of domain specific ‘mental organs’ in relation to change?
natural selection can act on domain specific ‘mental organs’ to create change
what is the EEA?
environment for evolutionary adaptedness
what does EEA say about evolutionary history?
99% of evolutionary history took place in the savanna 1.7ka-10ma before homo
what does john bowlby believe about attachment?
attachment to parents is adaptation
is attachment seen in other species?
attachment is seen in other species, it is biologically driven in monkeys
what is the EEA accused of?
panadaptationism and just so storytelling
what is a critique of human universals?
they overlook important variation such as influences on sexual selection
what are the implications of EEA on learning and cognitive abilities?
the ability to learn is adaptive, so cognitive abilities may just be byproducts of general abilities
what is behavioural ecology?
adaptive responses to the environment (contrasting EEA)
what is the goal of behavioural ecology?
to determine how difference among individuals can be due to optimality and fitness
what des behavioural ecology observe?
how environments influence population-level behaviour (e.g. mating success)
what does behavioural ecology measure?
adaptability in proximate currencies (e.g. calories)
what is niche?
environmental way of life of an organism, a profession
what does greater overlap cause?
greater competition
what is the ‘carpentered niche’?
the muller-lyer illusion doesnt fool hunter gatherers living in forests, only fools those living in urban areas where buildings fit the illusion
what is optimality?
adaptive trade offs
how was optimality used in smith (1985)
inuits needed to reduce the amount of seal hunters due to the social pressure they caused in a big group
what are the 6 patterns of life history strategy?
development, maturation, reproduction, growth, survival, lifespan
what are the two levels of explanation?
ultimate causation and proximate causation?
what is ultimate causation?
evolutionary levels, concerned with function and evolution
what is proximate causation?
the immediate circumstances, concerned with development and causation
what is function/adaptation?
the fitness value of a trait
what is evolution/phylogeny?
evolutionary history of a trait
what is development/ontogeny?
traits vary through development
