Module 8 1B

Question 1

Evolutionary Theory:

Natural & Sexual Selection: Traits helping survival or attractiveness spread over time.
Artificial Selection: Humans breed desirable traits.

Question 2

Outcomes:

Adaptations: Traits solving survival/reproduction problems (e.g., sweat glands).
By-products: Side effects of adaptations (e.g., driving skills).
Noise: Random changes with no function (e.g., belly button type).

Question 3

Principles of Evolutionary Psychology:

Charles Darwin (1859): Psychology builds on Herbert Spencer’s idea of mental powers evolving gradually.
Evolutionary Psychology: Studies human thought and behavior through adaptations and mechanisms.

Question 4

Four Big Questions:

Why is the human mind the way it is, and how did it evolve?
What is the structure of the human mind?
What function do mind parts serve?
How do evolution and environment shape behavior?

Question 5

Buss’ Evolutionary Theory of Personality:

Personality traits evolved to solve survival and reproduction problems.
Big Five traits signal our problem-solving abilities.
Recognizing personality differences offers reproductive advantages. Traits help others evaluate our adaptive skills.

Question 6

Nature and Nurture in Buss’s Theory:

Both nature and nurture shape behavior.
Cognitive Biases:
Situation error: Overemphasizing the environment.
Attribution error: Focusing on internal traits over situational factors.
Evolutionary theory must address both internal mechanisms and the environment.
EEA: Traits that aided survival in a specific environment were passed on.

Question 7

Psychological Mechanisms:

Personality is shaped by evolved mechanisms for survival and reproduction.
Two Types:

Physical: Physiological systems for survival.
Psychological: Cognitive and motivational systems specific to survival and reproduction, often species-specific.

Question 8

Examples of Mechanisms:

Information intake (survival): Eyes, ears, skin (biological)
Temperature regulation (survival): Sweat glands (biological)
Disease (survival): Immune system (biological)
Injury (survival): Blood clotting (biological)
Trust (survival/reproduction): Conscientiousness, agreeableness (psychological)
Mate attraction (reproduction): Dominance, creativity (psychological)
Intersex competition (reproduction): Aggression, drive, beauty (psychological)

Question 9

Psychological Mechanisms and Personality:

Buss groups mechanisms into:

Goals/motives: Affect well-being.
Emotions: Signal harmful/beneficial situations.
Personality traits: Linked to drives/emotions (e.g., dominance from a drive to win).
Key Drives:

Power: Aggression, dominance, achievement.
Intimacy: Love, attachment, alliances.

Question 10

Personality and Mating Strategies in the EEA:

Buss suggests many personality traits, including mating strategies, evolved in the environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA).
Example: Men mate widely, women mate wisely.

Question 11

Questions:

How might this have been adaptive in the EEA?
Are these strategies still adaptive today?
Does linking modern mating strategies to evolutionary heritage make sense?
How convincing is this argument?

Question 12

The “Big Five” According to Buss:

Buss’ model resembles McCrae and Costa’s but emphasizes the adaptive significance of traits.

Answer 12

Buss’ Big Five:

Surgency/extraversion: Sociable, confident.
Function: High status, attractive mates.
Agreeableness/hostility: Cooperative or aggressive.
Function: Promotes group survival.
Conscientiousness: Reliable, task-focused.
Function: Signals trustworthiness.
Emotional Stability/neuroticism: Stress response.
Function: Anxiety aids survival.
Openness/intellect: Innovation, problem-solving.
Function: Exploration for resources.

Question 13

Origins of Individual Differences (Buss & Greiling, 1999):

Environmental: Shaped by the environment.
Early calibration: Childhood experiences influence behavior (e.g., father absence leads to promiscuity).
Niche specialization: Differentiating traits to gain attention.
Heritable/genetic: Traits influenced by genetics (e.g., attractiveness).
Non-adaptive: Traits with no survival/reproduction benefit.
Maladaptive: Traits that harm survival or attractiveness (e.g., defects).
Evolutionary psychology favors universal behaviors over individual differences.

Question 14

Benefits and Costs of the Big Five (Nettle, 2006):

Extraversion
Benefit: Mating success, social alliances, exploration.
Cost: Physical risks, family instability.

Neuroticism
Benefit: Vigilance, competitiveness.
Cost: Stress, depression, health issues.

Openness
Benefit: Creativity, attractiveness.
Cost: Unusual beliefs, psychosis.

Conscientiousness
Benefit: Long-term focus, life expectancy, social desirability.
Cost: Missed immediate gains, rigidity.

Agreeableness
Benefit: Harmony, coalition building.
Cost: Social cheating, failure to maximize advantage.

Question 15

Common Misunderstandings About Evolution (Buss, 1999):

Genetic determinism: Behavior is influenced by both genes and environment (e.g., epigenetics).
Conscious adaptations: Evolutionary strategies are often unconscious.
Optimal design: Adaptations are not always perfect (e.g., preference for fatty foods).