the new science of evolutionary psychology
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The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology. Chapter 2. Three Theories for The Origins of Adaptations. Creationism Seeding theory Evolution by natural selection Which of the theories is scientific and why?. The Three Products of Evolution. Adaptations By-products Noise. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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The New Science of Evolutionary PsychologyChapter 2
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Three Theories for The Origins of Adaptations•Creationism•Seeding theory•Evolution by natural selection
•Which of the theories is scientific and why?
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The Three Products of Evolution•Adaptations•By-products•Noise
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What is an Adaptation?•An inherited and reliably developing
characteristic that came into to existence through natural selection because it helped to solve a problem of survival or reproduction during the period of its evolution
•Must show evidence of special design•Must show evidence it improves fitness
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The Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA)•The adaptive problems or selection forces
that were responsible for shaping the adaptation over deep evolutionary time
•Not a time period, but a set of circumstances
•Each adaptation has its own EEA
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Byproducts•Characteristics that do not solve design
problems and do not have functional design
•Come along with adaptations
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Noise•Random effects•May harm the organism or be neutral
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The female orgasm: Adaptation, by-product, or noise?
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Levels of Evolutionary AnalysisGeneral Evolutionary Theory (Darwin)
Middle Level Theories: Parental Investment
Theory (Trivers) Specific Evolutionary Hypotheses: In species
where males contribute resources to offspring, females will seek males who are willing and able to do so Specific Predictions Based on Hypothesis: Women
prefer men who show generosity during courtship
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Strategies for Generating and Testing Hypotheses Theory Driven
Parental Investment Theory
Develop and Test Hypothesis: collect observations of women’s responses to personal ads that vary with regard to stated income
Observation Driven
Develop and Test Hypothesis: collect observations of women’s responses to personal ads that vary with regard to stated income
Observation: women seem to prefer men who have higher incomes
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Human Nature•All species have a nature that evolved
through natural selection•All psychological theories are
evolutionary- all contain premises about human nature
•The human mind has evolved psychological mechanisms to solve adaptive problems
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What is a Mechanism?•Example: Callous producing mechanism
▫Physical processes that cause toughening of the skin in response to specific environmental inputs
•Solves a specific problem•Is a universal mechanism but the output
will vary based on experience
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Evolved Psychological Mechanisms: Definition•Exists because it evolved as an adaptation•Designed to process specific, limited input•Input has information value to the
organism about what adaptive problem it is facing
•Input takes form of decision rules (if-then)•Output: physiological response,
communication to other mechanisms, or overt behavior
•Output of mechanism is directed at solving a particular adaptive problem
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Properties of Evolved Psychological Mechanisms•The mind is “carved at its joints” based on
function, although functions are coordinated
•Mechanisms are problem- specific and numerous
•Mechanisms are not rigid instincts but allow behavioral flexibility ▫Are activated by specific environmental
inputs▫Involve decision rules that permit multiple
options
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Evolution and Culture•Evolution and learning are not opposites•Learning and culture are descriptions for
how environmental inputs interacts with psychological mechanisms
•Culture is a description that requires explanation- it is not an explanation by itself
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Culture
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Methods for Testing Hypotheses•Comparing species•Comparing males and females•Comparing individuals within species•Comparing individual across contexts•Experimental methods
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Data Sources for Testing Hypotheses•Archaeological records•Data from hunter gatherer societies•Observations•Self-reports•Life history data and public records•Human products
* Multiple data sources allow evidence to converge
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Identifying Adaptive Problems
Guideline 1: Modern Evolutionary Theory
•Problems of survival and growth•Problems of mating•Problems of parenting•Problems of assisting genetic relatives
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Guideline 2: Knowledge of Universal Human Structures•Identifying common features of human
experience provides a starting place for likely adaptive problems (e.g. Brown’s Human Universals) ▫Social hierarchies▫Giving birth in presence of others
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Guideline 3: Traditional Societies•Hunter-gatherer groups more closely
resemble the conditions under which humans evolved
•Humans were hunter-gatherers for 99% of our history
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Guideline 4: Paleoarchaeology and Paleoanthropology•Analysis of fossils and tools allows a
window into adaptive problems that our ancestors faced
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Guideline 5: Current Psychological Mechanisms•Fear of snakes•Taste aversions•Sexual jealousy
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Guideline 6: Task Analysis•Analyze an observation into the various
behavioral and cognitive tasks necessary for it to occur
•Observation: humans generally avoid sexual contact with closely related kin