Unit 2 Flashcards
Evolutionary Psychology
evolution to explain human commanalities in cognitioin, develpoment, emotion, social practices and other areas of behaviours
Behariour psychology
genetic basis of individual differences in behaviour and personality
genes
funtional units of heredity; comprised of DNA code for the structure of proteins
Chromosomes
rod-shaped structure carrying the genes
DNA
chromosome molecule that transfersgenetic characteristics by way of coded instructions to create protein
genome
full set of genes in each cell of an orgainisim
genetic marker
location on DNA known; can function as a landmark - linkage studies - heritable traits can be involved in a physical or mental condition
evolution
Change within gene over a population over many generations; a mechanisim by which genetics influenced charatereisitcs of a population may change, -> formation of a new species
Mutation
change in genes; an arror in copying during gamete cell division
natural selection
evolutionary process whater individuals with genetically infulenced traits adapt = increased survival, increased reprodution and therefore and increased number of individuals in the population
mental modules
collection of specialized and independant secitons of the brain - handles specific survival probles -> find food, mates
list 5 innate human characterisitcs
- infant reflees - nursing
- interest in novelty - unfamiliar
- desire to explore and manipulate objects
- desire to play and food around
- basic cognatice skills - innate ability for learn lanuage
language
a combination of unique sounds and movements = structured meaning
language aquisision device
innate metal module allows young children to develop language if exposed = universal grammar
What are the five features that support the Chomskyan position
- Children go through similar stages of linguistic development
- children use word combos adults never would
- children not always corrected for grammatical erros yet learn to speak and sign correctly anyways
- children not eposed to language invent their own
- young infants can derive liguistic rules from a string of sounds
overregulations
errors overgeneralized, non random shows that a child has grasped the grammatical rule
computer neural networks
mathematical models of the brain that “learn” by adjusting connections amound hypothetical neurons in response to incoming data
sociobiology
interdisciplinery feild emphasizing evolutionary expansions of social behaviour -> animals
Critisim of the “Genetic leash”
- Steriotypes vs. behaviour - doesn’t always match, sxeual promiscuity, chastity, and child rearing
- convenience vs. representative samples - surveying done eclusively on women up until 1973 = avoid oversimplification -
- What ppl say vs. what they do - choices vs actions
- Fred Flintstone problem - empasis on the Pleistocene ager -> agriculture, little access to potential mates, attraction = similarity and proimity
Social Darwinism
notion that wealther and successful people are more reproductively fit that other people
heritability
a statistical estimate of the proportion of the total variance in some trait that is attributable to genetic differences amound indivivduals within a group.
identical (monozygotic) twins
Twins that develop what a fertilized egg divides into two parts that develop into two seperate emryos