Evolutionary Psychology Fundamentals

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What are the four key questions that evolutionary psychology focuses on?

How the human mind evolved, what are its mechanisms, how it functions, and how it adapts to the environment

How do humans adapt to the environment, what are the mechanisms of the human mind, how do they function, and what are their purposes

What are the causes of species change, how did the human mind evolve, what are its components, and what are their functions

Why is the mind designed the way it is, how is it designed, what are its functions, and how does the environment interact with it (correct)

Who believed in the inheritance of acquired characteristics as a cause of species change?

Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédérick Dagobert Cuvier

George Washington

Jean Baptiste Lamarck (correct)

Charles Darwin

What is the name of the theory proposed by Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédérick Dagobert Cuvier?

Darwinism

Lamarckism

Catastrophism (correct)

Gradationism

According to Charles Darwin, what will be the foundation of psychology in the distant future?

The necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of evolutionary psychology?

The design of the human mind Signup and view all the answers

Who is the author of the sentence 'In the distant future I see open fields for more important researches.'?

Charles Darwin Signup and view all the answers

What did biologists before Darwin notice about species?

The bewildering variety of species, some with astonishing structural similarities Signup and view all the answers

What did the comparison among species yield?

The notion that life is not static; there is a change over time Signup and view all the answers

What was missing from the theories of biologists before Darwin?

A causal process to explain biological phenomena Signup and view all the answers

What did Darwin want to explain in his book On the Origin of Species?

How new species emerge Signup and view all the answers

What did Darwin want to account for in his theory of evolution?

The particular ways in which change takes place over time Signup and view all the answers

What did Darwin want to explain about the component parts of animals?

Why they exist in those particular forms Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary driver of differential reproductive success?

Possession of characteristics that help to survive and reproduce Signup and view all the answers

What is the ultimate outcome of the struggle for survival over immense spans of time?

The rich and varied world we see today Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary contribution of Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection?

Providing a causal process by which change takes place over time Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary explanation for the apparent purposive quality of the component parts of organisms?

Natural selection Signup and view all the answers

What is the central question posed by Darwin's Theory of Sexual Selection?

Why would the sexes differ so much when both males and females confront essentially the same problems of survival? Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary mechanism by which new helpful variations emerge in populations?

Natural selection Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary purpose of Darwin's theory of sexual selection?

To describe the adaptations arising from successful mating Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between intrasexual competition and intersexual selection?

Intrasexual competition involves competition between individuals of the same sex, while intersexual selection involves preferential mate choice Signup and view all the answers

According to the theory of natural selection, what is the role of genetic drift in evolutionary change?

Genetic drift is a random change that occurs in the genetic makeup of a population Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary limitation of natural selection in driving evolutionary change?

Natural selection is limited by its inability to foresee distant needs Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of evolutionary psychology in understanding evolutionary change?

It takes advantage of key theoretical insights and scientific discoveries not known in Darwin's day Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary relationship between natural selection and sexual selection in evolutionary theory?

Natural selection and sexual selection are complementary mechanisms Signup and view all the answers

What did Darwin envision his theory of natural selection to be applicable to?

Behavior, including social behavior, as well as physical structures Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of ethology?

The study of the proximate mechanisms and adaptive value of animal behavior Signup and view all the answers

What was the ethology movement a reaction to?

The extreme environmentalism in U.S. psychology Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of the immediate influences on behavior?

The mother's movement Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the behavior of a baby duck following its mother?

To keep the baby duck close to the mother, which helps it to survive Signup and view all the answers

Who is associated with the concept of imprinting?

Lorenz Signup and view all the answers