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Questions and Answers
What is the main focus of evolutionary psychology?
What is the main focus of evolutionary psychology?
What is the norm of reaction?
What is the norm of reaction?
What is the main critique of the Standard Social Science Model (SSSM)?
What is the main critique of the Standard Social Science Model (SSSM)?
What is the role of culture according to evolutionary psychology?
What is the role of culture according to evolutionary psychology?
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What is a psychological adaptation?
What is a psychological adaptation?
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What is an example of a sensory adaptation?
What is an example of a sensory adaptation?
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What do fuzzy categories, such as 'bird', demonstrate?
What do fuzzy categories, such as 'bird', demonstrate?
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What is the primary function of heuristics, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the primary function of heuristics, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is an example of base rate neglect?
What is an example of base rate neglect?
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What is the primary driver of moral intuitions, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the primary driver of moral intuitions, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is the primary function of kin selection, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the primary function of kin selection, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is the effect of monogamy on parent-offspring conflict, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the effect of monogamy on parent-offspring conflict, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is the driving force behind parental investment, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the driving force behind parental investment, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is the consequence of promiscuity on parent-offspring conflict, according to the evolutionary perspective?
What is the consequence of promiscuity on parent-offspring conflict, according to the evolutionary perspective?
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What is the primary function of language as an adaptation?
What is the primary function of language as an adaptation?
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What is a key difference between animal communication and human language?
What is a key difference between animal communication and human language?
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What is the primary mechanism of language change according to evolutionary biology?
What is the primary mechanism of language change according to evolutionary biology?
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What is the term for the rules governing the sound patterns in morphemes?
What is the term for the rules governing the sound patterns in morphemes?
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What is the advantage of social learning over individual learning?
What is the advantage of social learning over individual learning?
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What is the term for the mental processes for acquiring, processing, storing, and using information?
What is the term for the mental processes for acquiring, processing, storing, and using information?
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Study Notes
Evolutionary Psychology (EP)
- Definition: Integrates evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience to study the evolutionary basis of mind and behavior.
- Focus: Ultimate (evolutionary) explanations over proximate (mechanistic) ones.
- Critique of SSSM: Challenges the Standard Social Science Model, which assumes a blank slate human mind shaped solely by culture and experience.
Gene-Environment Interaction
- Norm of Reaction: Describes how genes express traits in varying environments.
- Facultative Responses vs. Susceptibilities: Facultative adaptations are responses to environmental cues shaped by natural selection, while susceptibilities arise from mismatches with modern environments.
- Role of Culture: EP sees culture as both shaping and shaped by human nature, not arbitrary but constrained by evolved predispositions.
Controversies and Adaptations
- EP vs. SSSM: EP argues for a gene-environment interaction perspective, critiquing SSSM's emphasis on culture and experience as independent of biology.
- Psychological Adaptations: Traits evolved by natural selection to solve specific adaptive problems, emphasizing domain-specificity and fitness benefits.
- Sensory Systems: Examples like bat sonar illustrate sensory adaptations tailored to species-specific needs.
Language as an Adaptation
- Definition: Capacity to learn, produce, and understand language evolved through natural selection.
- Function: Communicate propositional information (e.g., who did what to whom, what is true of what).
- Evolutionary Context: Language evolved to solve problems relevant to survival and reproduction.
- Language Features: Phonemes, morphemes, morphophonemic rules, grammar, and universality.
- Evidence for Language as an Adaptation: Complexity, development, pidgins to creoles, dissociation with general intelligence, genetic evidence, and localization in the brain.
Evolution of Language and Social Learning
- Origins of Language: Language likely evolved cumulatively, starting with simple noun-verb relations.
- Evolutionary Psychology and Personality: Big Five Personality Traits are more differentiated in complex societies.
- Social Learning and Culture: Culture is interpersonally transmitted information essential for human survival.
Cognition
- Cognition: Mental processes for acquiring, processing, storing, and using information.
- Conscious vs. Unconscious: Much of cognition is unconscious (e.g., phoneme parsing, emotion detection).
- Categorical Thinking: Humans categorize to simplify responses and deduce properties from prior experiences.
- Evolution of Cognition: Minds evolved to understand natural kinds (biological entities) using fuzzy categories.
Heuristics and Rationality
- Rationality: Making judgments under uncertainty; influenced by heuristics (mental shortcuts).
- Base Rate Neglect: Tendency to ignore base rates in favor of vivid or available information.
- Evolutionary Perspective: Heuristics evolved to solve problems quickly and reliably in ancestral environments.
Evolution of Moral Intuitions
- Moral Intuitions: Evolved to navigate social interactions; influenced by reciprocity and reputation.
- In-group Bias: Tendency to favor one's group; influenced by minimal distinctions.
- Evolutionary Functions: Reputation management, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
- Ethical Decision-Making: Balancing individual and group interests for fitness benefits.
Family Dynamics and Evolution
- Kin Selection: Evolutionary perspective on family conflicts and cooperation.
- Parent-Offspring Conflict: Arises due to differing genetic relatedness and resource allocation.
- Impact of Mating Systems: Monogamy reduces conflicts; promiscuity intensifies conflicts (half-siblings).
- Parental Investment: Evolved motivations for parental care; risks in step-parenting contexts.
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Description
This quiz covers the definition and fundamental concepts of Evolutionary Psychology, including adaptive evolution and its applications in understanding human behavior.