Evolutionary Psychology Overview

A field of study exploring how evolutionary principles shape human behavior and thought.

Meetings at an individual's home about primate behavior, likely leading to evolutionary insights.

Research institution facilitating evolutionary psychology development and foundational work.

Early research and development establishing the theoretical basis of the field.

Institution supporting an evolution and human behavior group, crucial for evolutionary advancements.

University hosting a graduate program on evolutionary psychology, an early pioneer in the field.

Key researcher contributing to or inspiring evolutionary psychology research.

Early figures like Leda Cosmides, John Tooby in the late 1980s and 1990s who fundamentally shaped the field.

Men's mating strategy focused on seeking multiple sexual partners without long-term commitment.

Women's mating strategy emphasizing male investment for offspring support.

When sperm from multiple males compete to fertilize a female's egg.

Larger testes are often associated with higher sperm production, a benefit in sperm competition.

Sexual activity without the expectation of a long-term relationship.

Sexual activity without the consent of one party.

Psychological, anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits resulting from evolutionary pressures to ensure survival and reproduction.

The number of sexual partners a person desires within a specific timeframe, like a month, year, or lifetime.

Research investigating a specific topic across multiple cultures to understand how cultural differences might affect the results.

The relationship between a society's level of gender equality and the extent to which men and women differ in their sexual desires, specifically for the number of desired partners.

A specific cross-cultural example demonstrating that even in a society with high gender equality, men continue to express a significantly higher desire for a greater number of sexual partners over women.

Personal desires and aspirations that individuals hold, often reflecting their values, goals, and aspirations.

The specific desire to have sex with whomever one chooses, often expressed as a private wish.

The estimated number of times a person experiences sexual desire during a particular period, typically measured per week.

A consistent finding across diverse cultures and societies worldwide, where men consistently express a desire for a larger number of sexual partners than women.

Natural selection, the process where organisms with traits that increase survival and reproduction are more likely to pass on those traits to their offspring.

Features or traits that enhance an organism's survival and reproduction in a specific environment. These are the result of natural selection.

Changes in the frequency of genes within a population due to random chance, not natural selection. This can occur through mutations, founder effects, and genetic bottlenecks.

A type of genetic drift where a new population is established by a small group of individuals, leading to a reduced genetic diversity compared to the original population.

A type of genetic drift where a large population experiences a drastic reduction in size, reducing the genetic diversity of the surviving individuals.

Evolution does not occur based on future needs. It acts on existing variations, favoring traits that are advantageous in the current environment.

Evolutionary changes typically occur slowly over many generations, not in a sudden overnight process.

Periods of relative stasis in evolution interspersed with bursts of rapid change.

A concept explaining how an organism's reproductive success is determined by its own offspring's survival and the survival of its genetic relatives. It considers the benefit of altruistic acts towards relatives, even if they reduce the individual's own reproductive output.

A mathematical formula that predicts when altruistic behavior is favored by natural selection. It states that altruism is more likely to be favored when the benefit to the recipient is greater than the cost to the altruist, weighted by the degree of genetic relatedness.

A perspective that views evolution from the standpoint of the gene, focusing on how genes act to ensure their own replication and survival. This approach emphasizes how genes influence the behavior and traits of organisms to promote their own propagation.

A central concept in gene's eye thinking. It refers to the survival of the organism, or “vehicle,” that carries the genes. This is essential for the genes to be passed on to the next generation.

The ability of an organism to produce viable offspring and pass on its genetic material to the next generation.

The evolutionary paradox of actions that benefit others at a cost to the individual. Inclusive fitness theory explains how altruistic acts towards relatives can actually increase the chances of gene survival and increase the overall fitness of the individual.

The process by which organisms adapt to their environment through natural selection. Traits that increase inclusive fitness are more likely to be passed on and become more common in a population.

The earliest known case of murder involved a Neanderthal man who died roughly 50,000 years ago, with evidence of a spear wound and blunt force trauma to the skull.

There are distinct patterns in skeletal injuries, with men having more fractures and dents than women, and injuries often on the left side of the body, suggesting right-handed attackers.

While the bone record suggests combat was common and men were the aggressors, it doesn't definitively prove that combat was a central feature of human ancestral life or if men evolved to be more physically aggressive.

A strategy for gaining access to multiple sexual partners is for men to minimize the time delay between meeting a potential partner and seeking intercourse.

Natural selection requires three basic components: variation, inheritance, and differential survival and reproduction.

This concept explains how traits are passed down through discrete units (genes), not by blending of parental traits.

Common misconceptions about evolution include thinking it's about progress, that it's 'just a theory,' or that it applies only to humans.

Neanderthals went extinct approximately 40,000 years ago, making the earliest known homicide victim a relatively recent event in evolutionary terms.