Week 2 - Fundamentals

Question 1

What is evolutionary psychology?

Answer 1

Attempts to explain how patterns of BEHAVIOUR that characterize all humans originated in the SURVIVAL value of these characteristics

Adaptiveness

Question 2

What was the evolution of negativity bias?

Answer 2

More sensitive to AVERSIVE stimuli

Question 3

What is the “crazy bastard” hypothesis?

Answer 3

Risk taking individuals

Signal to others worth as an ally (or dangerousness as an adversary)

We perceive them as BIGGER and STRONGER

Question 4

What are the two GENERAL adaptations of the cultural animal?

Answer 4

Domain-specific adaptations: attributes that evolved to meet a CHALLENGE, but not useful when dealing with OTHER challenges

Domain-general adaptations: attributes that are USEFUL for dealing with VARIOUS challenges across life

Question 5

What are the 4 domain-GENERAL adaptations that shape human behaviour?

Answer 5

1) human are SOCIAL beings (social sensitivity (exclusion), recognition human faces)

2) humans are very INTELLIGENT beings (ability to imagine a future + think of self, symbolic thought/language)

3) humans are MOTIVATED, GOAL-STRIVING beings (motivation, needs + goals)

4) humans are very EMOTIONAL beings (emotions motivate actions, internal emotions—> external displays)

Question 6

There is “_______ ________” between social rejection and noxious stimuli

Answer 6

Neural overlap

Question 7

What is the dual-process model?

Or called…

Rational-experimental

System 1- system 2

Top-down - bottom-up

Answer 7

Rational:
- logical
- prefrontal-cortex
- think in words and numbers
- slower speed, deliberate action
- produces knowledge

Experimental:
- driven by emotions (affective)
- limbic system
- think in images and stories
- past experience
- high speed, immediate action
- produces wisdom

Question 8

What are the 2 motivational systems?

Answer 8

Approach

+

Avoidance

Question 9

What’s the biology of approach motivation?

Answer 9

BAS- seek- want

Left-prefrontal cortex

Question 10

What is the biology of avoidance motivation?

Answer 10

FFFS- fear - withdraw

Right-prefrontal cortex

Question 11

What is alexithymia?

Answer 11

Low in emotional intelligence

Probably not really good at answering questionnaires

Question 12

What does blind feel have to do with alexithymia?

Answer 12

Related to anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

People’s with alexithymia had DECREASED volume and ACTIVITY in. ACC

Question 13

What part of the brain controls fear?

Answer 13

Amygdala

Question 14

What are secondary emotions?

Answer 14

Variations of the 6 primary emotions

Ex) joy, ecstasy, and delight are variations of happiness

Includes SOCIAL EMOTIONS

Ex) sympathy, embarrassment, shame etc…

Question 15

Social emotions “__________, __________, ___________” behaviour

Answer 15

Regulate

Reinforce

Help repair

Question 16

What is the cognitive appraisal theory of emotions?

Answer 16

Stimulus —> PRIMARY appraisal—> SECONDARY appraisal process—> EMOTIONAL experience

(Stimulus)—> (increase in physiological arousal)—>(interpretation of stimulus through cognitive)—> (emotion)

Question 17

Positive moods are are on “__________” judgments and reliance on “____________” knowledge

Answer 17

Positive

Existing

Question 18

Bad moods are reliant on “__________” views and “_________” thinking

Answer 18

Negative

Critical

Question 19

Higher-order cognitive functioning is dependent on aqua Tate “____________ _____________”

Answer 19

Emotional functioning

Question 20

What is the moral foundations theory?

Answer 20

Culture dictates what we VALUE and NORMALIZE

Different cultures - different morals

Question 21

What fare the 5 parts of moral foundations theory?

Answer 21

1) harm/care
2) fairness/reciprocity
3) in group/loyalty
4) authority/respect
5) purity/sanctity

Question 22

What is culture diffusion?

Answer 22

Transfer of interventions, knowledge and ideas

Culture —> another

Question 23

What is culture transmission?

Answer 23

Members a culture learn explicitly to imitate the BELIEFS and BEHAVIOURS of another culture

Question 24

Art is the “_______” of culture

Answer 24

Face

Question 25

How does culture help us adapt according to Warner (1959)?

Answer 25

1) physical (natural) enviro
2) social enviro
3) metaphysical enviro

Question 26

Beauty is “____” times “____”

Answer 26

P times E

Is an interaction

Person and environment

Question 27

What are the 4 basic patterns of social relationships?

Answer 27

1) community sharing
2) authority ranking
3) equality matching
4) market pricing

Question 28

Increased socio-economic = increased “____________” !

Answer 28

Individualism

Question 29

What is a metaphysical environment?

Answer 29

NATURE of reality, significance of life, cosmic order

Question 30

What is terror management theory (TMT)?

Answer 30

Existential and psychodynamic

We are “mortal and aware”

Death awareness is “worm at the core”

Question 31

How do different cultures strive for immortality? (Minimize the terror of death)

“_________” immortality

“_________” immortality

Answer 31

Literal

Symbolic

Question 32

What is the cultural worldview?

Answer 32

HUMAN-CONSTRUCTED shared, symbolic conceptions of reality that imbue life with meaning and order

Antidote to death awareness

Question 33

Adaptations are “_______ - ____”

Evolution is NOT guided by any purpose or goal

Answer 33

Trade-offs

Attribute isn’t better just because it evolved

Question 34

What are the 3 primary psychological dimensions everyone has?

Answer 34

1) universal
2) individual
3) cultural