Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology Flashcards
Define Evolutionary Psychology
The study of human
behaviour and cognition from an evolutionary
perspective.
What is an adaptation?
A feature of an organism shaped by natural selection to solve biological problems or enhance reproductive success in past generations.
Three reasons why we should use an evolutionary approach in psychology.
- Science is the study of the world and how it works - we expect consistency between levels
- The tree of life
- Functionality
If evolution is defined as changes in gene frequency over time, why should we focus on changes in traits?
Because traits are the phenotype, the interaction between genes and the environment, and that’s what shapes the organism and its behaviour
What are the four forces of evolution?
- Mutation
- Migration (gene flow)
- Genetic Drift
- Natural Selection
Explain genetic drift
Random “sampling error”, no direction
Explain natural selection
- variation in the population for a trait
- trait must impact reproductive success
- trait must be heritable
Explain Mutation
A change in a gene
Explain Migration (gene flow)
The movement of individuals from one population to another, the migrants contribute their genes to the gene pool of the new population.
Why is genetic drift analogous to bad luck?
Because it’s changes in genotypes by chance
Explain why survival of the fittest does not capture the process of natural selection as an expression?
Because survival is not as important as reproduction. Reproduction of the fittest would be better.
What is fitness in the context of evolution?
Reproductive success
How do we decide that something is an adaptation?
An adaptation is an adjustment of an organism to their environment that improves their chances of survival in that environment.
Justify why the human brain shows evidence of being an adaptation (or set of adaptations)?
What is the difference between a proximate and ultimate explanation?
What is Ontogeny? (Tinberg’s trait questions)
How does it develop?
What is Phylogeny? (Tinberg’s trait questions)
How did it evolve?
What is Proximate? (Tinberg’s trait questions)
How does it work?
What is Ultimate? (Tinberg’s trait questions)
For what problem is it adapted? What does it do for fitness? (Why?)
What did Garcia’s experiments with rats reveal?
What is adaptive memory?
What did Nairne et al show in their memory studies?
What is the EEA?
How does Silverman’s research support the idea of the EEA?
What observation did Nick Humphreys make about ape brains?
What is the Social Brain Hypothesis?
What evidence does Dunbar provide to support the idea of a Social Brain?
What is Dunbar’s ‘magic number’ for human social group size?
How does Dunbar support his ‘magic number’ claim?
What is Machiavellian Intelligence?
Why is ToM relevant to the Social Brain?
What is directive Natural Selection?
What is disruptive N.S?
What is stabilising N.S?
How do directive/disruptive/stabilising N.S relate to adaptive variation, if at all?
How can variation be favoured by N.S?
Explain how shyness and boldness can both be favoured by selection. How was this studied in fish?
How do we explain the existence of left-handedness using a frequency dependent selection viewpoint. Provide study examples to support your answer.
Discuss evidence for human personalities being adaptive.
Why was sexual selection seen as a challenge to Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection?
What is sexual selection?
In intrasexual selection which one is usually the one doing the competing?
Why are males usually less choosy than females for mates?
What makes females tend to be the choosier sex?
List 4 reasons why investing in offspring is more costly for human females:
What evolutionary reason is there for males consenting to intercourse sooner than females?
What two factors primarily limit female reproductive capacity?
What primarily limits male reproductive capacity?
Why is minimum acceptable earning capacity higher for men than women?
Why are women thought to care more about ambition and status in a potential partner?
What does the phrase “good genes” mean in an evolutionary context?
Why are good genes attractive or desired?
Explain why peacocks have such large tails (relate answer to good genes):
Explain the findings of the T-shirt study:
What is the explanation for men’s preference for youth in women?
Contrast the motives for men and women to engage in short-term mating strategies:
Why do humans have bigger penises and testes relative to body size compared to gorillas?
Discuss why males may have a preference for a particular waist to hip ratio:
How does the female ovulatory cycle offer an opportunity for reproductive strategy? Is there evidence that this happens?
