Lecture 16: Kin and Socialization Flashcards
r
probability that a gene will be shared because of inheritance from an ancestor
Altruism towards Kin Equation
Only selected for if
Cost to self
Hamilton’s Rule
Most Altruism in animals is kin directed
When individuals live near their parents, they have 2 options
1. Have their own offspring
2. Stay and help their mother have more offspring
Often option 1 because often times there are different fathers: result in only half siblings
Having your own children is more secure
Eusociality in Social Insects
- Live in colonies with the queen
- Queen reproduces with few drones
- Majority of the bees are workers that allow the queen to focus on reproducing
- Workers are ultimate altruists
- Sacrifice themselves for queen
- Sterile
- Castes are hyper specialized
Social Insects vs Humans
- All humans can reproduce
- My needs vs needs of the community
- Not as altruistic as bees- limited by reciprocity, potential conflicts among kin
Kin Solidarity in Humans
- Kinship used as a metaphor for love and solidarity
- Patriotism, brotherhood,fraternity and sorority
- Cults and new religions simulate family environment - Traditional Societies Oriented on Kinship
- Universality of family
- Tribal societies centered around kinship
- Differences in family structure across cultures (patrilocal vs matrilocal - Most unreciprocated altruism between kin
- Organ donations
- Monetary loans
- Food Sharing - Step Relations vs Biological Relations
- Step parents- bicker more, feel less close
Cinderella Effect
Ubiquity of Cinderella stories
Step children are most vulnerable to abuse
Real vs Percieved Kinship
- Adopted children less vulnerable to abuse than step children (Both r=0)
- Individuals can’t perceive kinship directly, only sense kinship cues (ex. living together)
- Adoptive parents often simulate biological family
Darwinian Strategies: Bearing vs Caring
- Parental investment- Effort expanded for benefitting one offspring at the expense of another (existing or future)
- Quality vs Quantity
Parent Offspring Conflict
- Weaning Conflict
- Keeping father away from mother (Oedipal conflict)
- Infanticide
- Infants highly vulnerable to death in first years
- Either keep newborn and invest 2-4 years or abandon newborn and start over
- Dependent on infants help, the mothers ability to caretake vs viability of infant
Infants Tools Against Infanticide
- Cuteness (Round head, large eyes) elicits love and compassion for human race
- Cry
- Tantrums and Cry– Seems paradoxical *
Socialization
Conventional Wisdom: Parents socialize their kids for their own good
Trivers: Parents socialization may not be for the child’s own good– must treat siblings as well as themselves
Personality
Full set of cognitive, social, emotional components that generate behavior and how these characteristics differ among people
Personality Measurements
Projective Test: Ink Blot
Projective: Inkblot testing and TAT while objective tests ask deep question
Big 5 Personality Dimensions
-Oppenness/non-openenes*Daring vs cornformative
Conscentious/ Undirectedness(careless or careful)
Extraversion/Introversion (sociable or retiring)
Agreeable vs Antagonism (coutreous vs rude)
Neuroticism and Stability( constantly worrying calm and self satisfied
Parental Influence on Children
Parental Influence:
Parental behavior correlates more with children’s personality and intelligence
-Parent who spanks = more violent children
-Parent who is assertive= kids who are more well adjusted
-Mother with secure relationships= kids more better relationship
Parental Influence Critique
- Parents also provide children with genetic information
-How to separate genetic influence from behavioral influence
Harris: Effects of parents are overrated
-Lack of Shared environment effects
-Few effects of family structure seen in personality. Only
-Children vs siblings
-Birth order
-Gay parents
-Day care vs traditional family
Behavioral Genetics
How much variation in personality is due to genes, family environment and other causes
3 Potential Influences on Personality
Heritability- Amount total variation in a population is due to genes
Shared Common Environment- How much variation in a population is due to the shared environment of each twin
Non shared Environment-Percent of variation due to other environmental factors
Twin Method
Monozygotic Twins vs Dizygotic Twins
Heritability- High when MZ similarities are more the DZ similarities
Shared Common Environment- High when many similarities between MZ and DZ
NonShared Environment- High when MZ are not similar
Adoption Method
Biological Siblings vs Adopted
Heritability- High when biological siblings are more similar than adopted
Shared Environment- High when adopted and biological siblings are similar
Non shared Environment- Whatever is left over
Twin Separated at Birth
Heritability- High if twins are similar
Shared Environment- High if twins are less similar than twins raised together
PERSONALITY DIFFERENCE RESULTS
Heritability- 50 percent Shared Environment- 0-5 percent Non Shared Environment- 50 percent. Could be due to: -Chance biological event -Chance environmental event - Parent child interactions - Sibling Conflict -Peer conflict socialization
Peer Socialization
- Personality Phenomena- Children find different niches within peer groups, change themselves to prosper in them
- Socialization- Children pick up cultural skills, societal values from their peer groups- not parents
- language,cultural tastes conform to peers, not parents
- Juvenile delinquency, smoking predicted by peers and genes
