Psychology of Attractiveness and Altruism
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Questions and Answers

Which scenario was rated highest for attractiveness as a potential mate?

  • Standing alone
  • Vacuuming
  • Ignoring a crying child
  • Smiling and playing with child (correct)

    • What is the definition of altruism according to the content provided?

  • Helping others without any costs involved
  • Helping others in exchange for future assistance
  • Helping individuals that share genetic material only
  • Helping another while incurring personal costs (correct)

    • What does the kin selection theory suggest?

  • Helping strangers is more beneficial for gene propagation
  • Altruistic behavior is solely based on social alliances
  • Only direct offspring ensure gene propagation
  • Help relatives to pass on shared genetic material (correct)

    • What is the reciprocity hypothesis in relation to helpful actions?

    <p>Helpful actions are repaid later by those observing the help</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What evolutionary purpose is served by aggression?

    <p>Establish and maintain dominance hierarchies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which two species are identified as forming coalitions for lethal aggression?

    <p>Humans and Chimpanzees</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do dominance hierarchies play in group behavior?

    <p>They help to quell aggression and establish resource access</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following scenarios would likely receive the lowest attractiveness rating?

    <p>Standing beside a child in a neutral manner</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the reaction range refer to in the context of genetics and intelligence?

    <p>The environmental influences on genetic potential.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the Minnesota Twin Study, what percentage of variation in intelligence is attributed to genetic factors?

    <p>39% to 58%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following findings from the Minnesota Twin Study helps to rule out a purely genetic explanation for differences in intelligence?

    <p>Identical twins raised together score higher than those raised apart.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does familial environment play in variation according to the Minnesota Twin Study?

    <p>It accounts for little or no variation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which characteristics are suggested to have an inherited component according to the additional research mentioned?

    <p>Preservation of life and equality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which aspect of evolutionary psychology is highlighted in the context of behavior and tendencies?

    <p>How behavior and tendencies evolved in response to environmental demands.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the range typically attributed to the reaction range in IQ scores?

    <p>15-20 IQ points.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of genes in relation to characteristics?

    <p>They contain the genetic blueprint for characteristics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor is least likely to account for variation in personality based on the content provided?

    <p>Shared family environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many chromosomes are present in a typical human cell?

    <p>46 chromosomes in 23 pairs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the distinction between a genotype and a phenotype?

    <p>Genotype is the specific genetic makeup, while phenotype refers to observable characteristics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characteristic does a dominant gene display?

    <p>It controls a particular characteristic that will be visibly expressed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to a recessive gene in the presence of a dominant gene?

    <p>It will be expressed only if both alleles are recessive.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the bases adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine in genes?

    <p>They encode for the production of proteins.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement about sperm and egg cells is true?

    <p>They each have 23 chromosomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does it mean for a phenotype to be alterable?

    <p>It can be changed by environmental factors and other genes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the heritability estimate for weight, as indicated in the content?

    <p>0.6 or 60%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is true regarding heritability estimates?

    <p>They are specific to groups in particular environments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the concordance rate in behavioral genetics?

    <p>The co-occurrence of a characteristic among individuals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In studies of twins, which type of twins share 100% of their genetic material?

    <p>Monozygotic twins</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Adoption studies are primarily used to investigate differences in traits between what two groups?

    <p>Biological and adoptive parents.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement best represents a misconception about heritable traits?

    <p>Highly heritable traits cannot be influenced by the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of genetic relatedness exists between siblings?

    <p>50%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What key question does behavioral genetics aim to address regarding intelligence?

    <p>How does environment influence genetic expression?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do mutations play in evolution?

    <p>They create genetic variations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one outcome of natural selection?

    <p>Traits providing a competitive advantage are more likely to be passed on.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the main focus of Tryon's 1934 study on rats?

    <p>Breeding based on maze performance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which human adaptation is related to social organization?

    <p>Formation of specialized roles among genders.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What area of the brain particularly shows growth related to human evolution?

    <p>Areas involved in higher mental processes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What innate ability do newborns possess regarding language?

    <p>The ability to acquire language.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What seems to be a universal aspect of emotions?

    <p>Basic emotional responses are consistent across cultures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept does 'The Evolution of Desire' relate to?

    <p>The necessity of mate selection patterns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Attractiveness and Mate Selection

    • Female undergraduates rated males in five conditions for attractiveness as potential mates.
    • Males smiling and playing with a child were rated highest.
    • Males ignoring a crying child were rated lowest.
    • Males standing alone, beside a child, and vacuuming were rated in between.

    Cooperation and Altruism

    • Cooperation occurs when one individual helps another and gains some advantages.
    • Altruism occurs when an individual helps another at a cost to themselves.
    • Evolutionary psychology questions how altruism can be advantageous since it costs the altruist.

    Evolutionary Psychology

    • Kin selection suggests that behaviors that help genetic relatives may be favored by natural selection.
    • This means that helping relatives reproduce can be a way to ensure your genes are passed on.

    Reciprocity Hypothesis

    • The reciprocity hypothesis suggests that helpful actions are repaid later by observers of the helpful individual.

    Aggression

    • Aggression has an adaptive purpose in evolution.
    • Aggression can be used to divide limited resources such as food, mates, and territory.
    • Aggression can also help form social alliances.
    • Dominance hierarchies help to quell aggression by establishing access to resources.

    Coalitions and Aggression

    • Only two species form coalitions for lethal aggression against others:
      • Humans
      • Chimpanzees

    Genes, Evolution, and Behavior

    • Genetics significantly impacts our behaviour, including traits like intelligence, athleticism, and aggression.
    • Chromosomes are tightly coiled molecules of DNA that contain genes.
    • Genes contain a genetic blueprint of our characteristics, potentials, and limitations.
    • Each cell in our body has 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) except egg and sperm cells, which each have 23 chromosomes.
    • Genes contain a code for protein manufacture, which is comprised of adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine.
    • Genotype is our genetic makeup, while phenotype is our observable characteristics.
    • Dominant genes determine a characteristic's expression, while recessive genes only express a characteristic when paired with another recessive gene from the other parent.

    Behavior Genetics Techniques

    • There are various techniques used to study the influence of genetics on behavior.
    • One technique is to study genetic relatedness.
    • For example:
    • Family members share 50% of their genes with their parents, 50% with their siblings, and 25% with their grandparents.

    Genetics and Humans

    • Studies of twins and adoptees are used to investigate the role of genetics in behavior.
    • Concordance rates measure the co-occurrence of a characteristic among individuals.
    • Adoption studies look at correlations of various traits between adopted children and their biological or adoptive parents.

    Behavioural Genetics

    • Monozygotic (identical) twins share 100% of their genes, while dizygotic (fraternal) twins share 50% of their genes.

    Heritability

    • Heritability is an estimate of the variation attributed to genetic differences within a population.
    • A heritability estimate applies only to a particular group living in a specific environment.
    • Heritability estimates do not apply to individuals, only to variations among a group of individuals.
    • Even highly heritable traits can be modified by the environment.

    Genetic Influences on Behaviour

    • Genetic factors can influence intelligence; however, environment also significantly plays a role.
    • The question is not whether genes or environment determine intelligence but how they interact.

    Reaction Range

    • Reaction range refers to the range of possibilities (upper and lower limits) that the genetic code allows for a given characteristic.
    • Environmental effects determine where a person falls within these limits.
    • The reaction range for intelligence can span as much as 15 to 20 IQ points.

    Minnesota Twin Study

    • The Minnesota Twin Study examined over 400 sets of twins, reared together and apart, to investigate the role of genetics and environment in behavior.
    • The study found that genetic factors accounted for 39-58% of the variation in personality traits, while unique experiences accounted for 36-56% of the variation.
    • Individual experiences accounted for a greater part of variation than shared familial environment, which contributed little or no variance.

    Other Research

    • Attitudes, particularly those regarding preserving lives, equality, and athleticism, have a significant genetic contribution.
    • Certain inherited characteristics, such as the development of the vestibular system, may predispose people to specific activities.

    Evolutionary Psychology

    • Evolutionary psychology is the study of how behaviour and tendencies have evolved in response to environmental demands.
    • Evolution is a change in the rate at which genes and their corresponding characteristics appear within a breeding population over time.
    • Mutations are changes in genes that create genetic variations, making evolution possible.

    Legacy of Darwin

    • Darwin’s theory of natural selection suggests that traits that give individuals a competitive advantage, such as attracting mates, escaping danger, or acquiring food, are more likely to be passed on.

    Evolution of Learning

    • Tryon (1934) selectively bred “maze-bright” and “maze-dull” rats to investigate the influence of genetics on learning.
    • His research showed that the offspring of maze-bright rats made fewer mistakes than those of maze-dull rats, suggesting that genetics contribute to learning ability.

    Human Adaptations

    • Over time, humans have evolved adaptations, including:
      • Bipedal locomotion
      • Development of tools and weapons
      • Social organization, with specialized roles for males and females
      • Change in brain structures allowing for language acquisition, repeating behaviors that are rewarded and suppressing those punished, choosing safe food, and forming cooperative alliances.

    Evolution of the Human Brain

    • The human brain has evolved significantly, particularly areas responsible for higher mental processes, such as attention, memory, thought, and language.

    An Evolutionary Snapshot

    • Humans have an innate ability to acquire language.
    • Newborns are pre-wired to receive specific stimuli.
    • Humans have a need to belong to a group.
    • Specific emotions, such as fear, anger, and happiness, seem universal across cultures.
    • These innate abilities and emotions are thought to be evolutionary adaptations that helped humans survive and thrive.

    Mating Systems and Parental Investment

    • Evolutionary psychology suggests that humans have evolved patterns for choosing mates.

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    Lesson 4 Psych PDF

    Description

    Explore the nuances of attractiveness in mate selection and the principles of cooperation and altruism from an evolutionary psychology perspective. This quiz delves into factors influencing mate preferences and the evolutionary implications of altruistic behavior. Test your knowledge on key hypotheses and concepts related to these intriguing psychological phenomena.

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