Evolution by Natural Selection
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Questions and Answers

What is one of the prerequisites for evolution by natural selection?

  • A species that has undergone adaptation
  • Variation that is sufficiently heritable (correct)
  • Variation that is not heritable
  • A quantitative relationship between environment and gene interaction

    • What is favored by evolution by natural selection?

  • Genes that build phenotypes that are good at transmitting replicators to future generations (correct)
  • Genes that are good for the group
  • Genes that build phenotypes that are good for the species
  • Genes that are good for the environment

    • What is the main focus of proximate causes?

  • What a behavior does for the organism
  • Why a behavior evolved
  • The history of evolutionary relationships
  • How a behavior evolved (correct)

    • What is the ultimate purpose of natural selection?

    <p>To benefit the gene</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the norm of reaction tell us about a facultative trait?

    <p>How a trait responds to a specific feature of the environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a facultative adaptation?

    <p>Kinship-dependent altruism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main idea behind evolutionary psychology's view of the interaction between genes and the environment?

    <p>Genes have 'expectations' about the types of environments they will encounter, shaping their responses accordingly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main idea behind the SSSM model?

    <p>The human mind is shaped by experience and is a tabula rasa</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the concept of 'blank slate' according to SSSM?

    <p>A model that suggests human behavior is the result of a completely malleable and formless mind</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main critique of SSSM from an evolutionary perspective?

    <p>It fails to acknowledge the adaptation and natural selection in human behavior</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the amount of phenotypic variation that is due to genetic differences?

    <p>Heritability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of the sense of taste according to evolutionary principles?

    <p>To perceive sweet tastes as a marker of caloric content</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the sensation that is intended to detect insects or disease-spreading parasites?

    <p>Tickle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the mechanism by which a gene can spread through the population according to kin selection?

    <p>Altruistic behavior towards relatives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of language according to evolutionary principles?

    <p>To transfer complex understandings about the world from one brain to another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the smallest meaningful combination of phonemes in a language?

    <p>Morpheme</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the rules that govern sound changes in morphemes?

    <p>Morphophonemic rules</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the concept that suggests that human behavior is shaped by specialized modules built by natural selection?

    <p>Evolutionary psychology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor that contributes to the risk of child abuse and neglect in step-parenting?

    <p>Genetic relatedness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary distinction between evolutionary and traditional psychology?

    <p>Approaches to explaining human behavior</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA) defined as?

    <p>The environment in which an adaptation was designed by natural selection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary issue with the 'blank slate' view of the human mind?

    <p>It cannot respond to its environment without rules</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are individuals considered better vehicles for genes than species?

    <p>Because all of an individual's genes have an equal chance of being passed to the next generation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is natural selection, according to evolutionary psychology?

    <p>A statistical bias in the rate of replication of alternatives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the most useful criterion to determine if something is an evolved adaptation?

    <p>Its efficient design for a hypothesized function</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the difference between facultative adaptations and susceptibilities?

    <p>One augments fitness while the other reduces it</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do evolutionary psychologists think there should be many distinct and specialized learning mechanisms?

    <p>Because organisms need to learn many different regularities in their world that have different natural 'ecologies'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a facultative adaptation?

    <p>People whose ancestors evolved near the equator having more melanin in their skin</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the concept of morphology in grammar refer to?

    <p>Rules for forming words and combining morphemes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of rationality in cognition?

    <p>To make judgments and choose courses of action under uncertainty</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the assumption that the past predicts the future?

    <p>Gambler's fallacy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of emotions, according to evolutionary psychology?

    <p>To accomplish particular functions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following emotions signals a fitness-decreasing situation?

    <p>Sadness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the tendency to favor those in one's own group over outsiders?

    <p>In-group bias</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of anger, according to Aaron Sell's theory?

    <p>To signal that you have been mistreated by an associate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of the Cheater Detection Task?

    <p>To identify violations of social rules</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of functional dissociation in psychology?

    <p>To enable mental processes to operate independently</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary cause of parent-offspring conflict, according to evolutionary psychology?

    <p>Genetic relatedness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Evolutionary Psychology

    • Evolution by natural selection favors genes that build phenotypes that are good at transmitting those replicators to future generations.
    • Natural selection builds adaptations that are good for the gene, not the species, group, or individual.

    Proximate and Ultimate Causes

    • Proximate causes: Hormonal triggers that prime behavior, and the development of an organism.
    • Ultimate causes: Adaptation (functional part), phylogeny (evolutionary tree), and teleology (use of ultimate purpose or design).

    Facultative Adaptations and Susceptibilities

    • Facultative adaptations: Phenotypic changes induced by environmental change that augment fitness (e.g., UVb-dependent suntanning).
    • Facultative susceptibilities: Phenotypic changes induced by environmental change that reduce fitness.

    Human Nature

    • Standard Social Science Model (SSSM): A blank slate on which culture and experience make their mark.
    • Evolutionary Psychology (EP): A large collection of specialized modules built by selection to address the specific challenges that faced our ancestors over human evolution.

    Heritability

    • Heritability (h2): The amount of phenotypic variation that is due to genetic differences (Vg / (Vg + Ve)).
    • Selection is more effective when heritability is higher.

    Themes in Sensation and Perception

    • Adapted to species-specific risks and opportunities (e.g., bat sonar, butterfly taste receptors).
    • Shaped by sources of relevant data that provide insight into the relevant selection pressures (e.g., human taste).

    Language

    • Language is an adaptation that has been built by natural selection because of its contribution to reproductive success in ancestral hominin populations.
    • Language Elements: Phonemes, morphemes, morphophonemic rules, grammar, and syntax.

    Social Learning and Cognition

    • Social learning: Depends on its costs and benefits, with social learning being advantageous when it is cheap and the environment changes slowly.
    • Cognition: Most of our thinking happens without us being aware of it, involving sorting things into categories to make sense of the world.

    Emotions and Moral Intuitions

    • Emotions: Anger, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust are adaptations designed to accomplish particular functions.
    • Moral intuitions: Adaptations that help individuals anticipate and avoid actions that could harm their reputation, thus promoting social cooperation and support.

    Kin Selection and Reciprocity

    • Kin selection: Passing genes to the next generation through helping genetic relatives to reproduce.
    • Reciprocity: A model for the evolution of altruism.

    In-group Bias and Coalitional Psychology

    • In-group bias: Favors those in their own group over outsiders due to evolutionary pressures favoring cooperation within groups for survival and resource acquisition.
    • Coalitional psychology: Present in the common ancestor of chimps and humans, leading to negative judgments and disparagement of out-group members.

    Social Pathology

    • Parent-offspring conflict: Rooted in genetic relatedness, a natural outcome within families despite evolutionary selection for reduced conflict.
    • Sibling conflicts: Different perspectives on resource allocation among family members, influenced by genetic relatedness.
    • Step-parenting: Poses a significant risk factor for child abuse and neglect, highlighting the impact of genetic relatedness on parental care and behavior.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the prerequisites for evolution by natural selection, including variation, heritability, and replication, as well as the proximate causes of behavioral development.

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