Topic 2 - BE, EP and MM

Question 1

What is ethology?

Answer 1

Ethology is the study of animal behaviour in their natural environment (1960s).

Question 2

What is sociobiology?

Answer 2

Sociobiology is the study of social behaviour of animals in relation to their environment and evolution (1970s).

Question 3

What is human behavioural ecology?

Answer 3

HBE is the study of the evolution of human behaviour in relation to ecological conditions.

Question 4

What is evolutionary psychology?

Answer 4

EP is cognitive psychology with an evolutionary approach. It looks for universal elements of cognition and how they are adaptive.

Question 5

What are the main differences between HBE and EP?

Answer 5

EP is experimental in nature, HBE is rather observational.
EP is not overly concerned with ecological validity (lab experiments are okay).

Question 6

What is the EEA?

Answer 6

The EEA is the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptation. For humans, it’s where human behaviour originated, and humans have multiple EEAs.

Question 7

What is modularity?

Answer 7

Modularity is the concept that mental phenomena arise from multiple distinct process/modules. The mind has a structure, and process are function-specific.

Question 8

What is an example given in a study for modularity?

Answer 8

Barret & Kurban (2006) highlight how information processing systems for perception are different from those underlying reasoning or motor control.

Question 9

Who first proposed modularity?

Answer 9

Fodor (1983). He proposed that the mind had a small number of modules that acted reflexively, and that these were the fundamentals of the human mind.

Question 10

What is massive modularity?

Answer 10

Massive modularity is the concept that human mind is composed of numerous specialised modules, each responsible for specific cognitive functions.

Question 11

What are the arguments against massive modularity?

Answer 11

1. The mind has general purpose features.
2. It doesn’t match what we know about the brain (plasticity).
3. It’s oversimplified.

Question 12

What is a model of the mind against massive modularity?

Answer 12

Spunt and Adolph’s (2017), who proposed a module of modularity where there is crosstalk.

Question 13

What are some case studies examples of domain specificity?

Answer 13

Deer’s and moth’s mating signalling via odor, mice’s danger signalling via odor.

Question 14

Does modern evolutionary psychology see the brain as a computer?

Answer 14

Yes and no (elaborate).