Evolutionary Psychology Evolved Mechanisms ALL psychological theories imply evolved psychological mechanisms Where did these mechanisms come from Why do they exist They evolved to solve recurrent adaptive problems in our ancestors Evolution by natural selection is the only viable answer Ultimate explanations Evolved Mechanisms What are the characteristics of evolved psychological mechanisms Blind design not made from scratch Gene selection selfish genes Domain specificity Swiss army knife May emerge at any point in development need not be present at birth Environmental Input Is evolutionary psychology genetic determinism NO All evolved psychological mechanisms are dependent upon environmental input Internal or external Even biological genetic physiological adaptations such as muscles require input nutrition and exercise to develop and maintain Psychological mechanisms are no different language Evolved Mechanisms What about culture Culture is often used as an explanation for human behavior and differences between individuals and groups But culture is not an explanation for anything it requires an explanation The existence of culture requires evolved psychological mechanisms Cultural differences are the result of varied environmental input Availability and type of resources Population density Male to female ratio Presence of geographic barriers isolation Sex Differences Males and females have faced some separate adaptive problems throughout our species history due to both biological conditions reproduction and social conditions gender roles Sex Differences Males hunting greater upper body strength and greater spatial rotation ability for throwing spears Females gathering better spatial location memory for finding and remembering good food sources Sex Differences Males tribal warfare group hunting strong coalitional tendencies Females patrilocal societies weak coalitional tendencies Sex Differences in Mating Males paternity uncertainty sexual jealousy Females need for resource investment for children emotional jealousy Sex Differences in Mating Males cryptic ovulation long term relationship with frequent sex Females dual male strategy of long term and short term mating discerning whether a male views her as a long term or short term mate Important Findings of EP Altruism and kin selection Why are we nice self sacrificing to each other if genes are selfish We are most likely to exhibit kindness to people who share our genes Reciprocal altruism with friends has benefits i e can be selfish Altruism can raise social status and attract mates The Wason Selection Task Each card has a number on one side and a letter on the other Indicate which cards you need to turn over to see if any violate the following rule If a card has a D on one side it has a 3 on the other The Wason Selection Task Imagine you are a bouncer at a bar If a person is drinking beer he must be at least 21 years of age One side of each card shows a person s age and the other side tells what he or she is drinking Indicate the cards you need to turn over to find out whether anyone is breaking the law and needs to be thrown out of the bar Important Findings of EP Social exchange cheater detection Humans are very good at interpreting conditional rules of social contracts Social exchange problems on the Wason selection task are always solved much more easily than corresponding logic problems This is true even if the social contract is unfamiliar Which figure is most attractive Important Findings of EP Universal preference and importance of waist to hip ratio in females Fertile women 67 80 Lower is better Average preference in all cultures surveyed 70 range 68 to 72 Average actual WHR among females in the United States 80 Greater fertility Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease Reduced risk of diabetes Reduced risk of at least 7 different types of cancers Reduced risk of cognitive impairment Honest signal of health and fertility What does it all mean Humans are adaptation executors NOT fitness maximizers Mean genes Recommended Reading Evolutionary Biology The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins The Ancestor s Tale by Richard Dawkins Gene Environment Interactions Nature via Nurture by Matt Ridley Recent Human Evolution Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade Evolutionary Psychology The Evolution of Desire by David Buss Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy Etcoff Sperm Wars by Robin Baker The Dangerous Passion by David Buss The Murderer Next Door by David Buss Mean Genes by Terry Burnham Jay Phelan
View Full Document
Unlocking...