Download Evolutionary Psych: Understanding Nature vs. Nurture

Evolutionary Psych:
Understanding Nature vs.
Nurture
Module 15
Evolutionary Psychology
• Focus on what makes us alike.
• Based on idea of Natural Selection:
• Varied offspring compete for survival
• Certain biological and behavioral variations increase an organism’s chance at survival in a
certain environment and thus increase their chances for reproduction
• Offspring from these organisms have a better chance at survival
• Thus, their characteristics begin to become dominant in the overall population
• In other words, “Traits that lead to survival are more likely to be passed on.”
Belyaev Fox Experiment
• Could you breed “tame” foxes to produce a
completely domesticated fox?
• YES! After 30 generations of selective breeding
and 45,000 foxes the new breed of fox was “docile,
eager to please, and…domesticated.”
• In nature, random mutations (errors in gene
replication) that make us more adaptable, get
passed on.
Explaining Similarities:
• Remember, more genetic difference between individuals of a group than
between two groups.
• Shared behaviors among the human species:
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Favoring sweet and fatty tasting foods over bitter (poison).
Parental care for our offspring
Fear for natural things like heights, storms, snakes
Moral instinct to not harm others in our group.
Moral Judgments – Are they Natural or Learned?
Watch what’s happening in your brain when making this
decision: Nat Geo Clip (2 min)
Human Sexuality:
A Natural Selection Guide to Choosing Your Mate.
Males Look For:
• Because their part in
reproduction is so easy & noncommittal – look for a female
who is:
Females Look for:
• Because pregnancy is such a
long and possibly difficult
process – look for a male who is:
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Mature
Dominant
Affluent
Long-Term Stability
• Healthy
• Waists narrower than Hips – sign
of fertility
• Fertile Age – 20’s
• Both are looking for a mate that increases their chances of successfully passing on their genes.
• Remember, how we came to be does need to dictate how we ought to be - just because we
may have this propensity, doesn’t mean we can’t overcome it.
Criticisms of Evolutionary Perspective
• Hindsight Explanation – Starts with the effect and works
backwards to an explanation based on speculation
• Could lead to Genetic Determinism – belief that certain groups
are genetically superior to others and therefore should selectively
breed.
• Undercuts Moral Responsibility – The reason I cheated on my
spouse is because it’s what I was bred to do.
• Is it genetic legacy or just social-cultural tradition? – Culture could
determine one’s wants and desires in a mate.
• Religious vs. Science Conflict –
• Science attempts to tell us when & how.
• Religion attempts to tell us the who & why.
Biopsychosocial Approach to Individual Development
• We are both Creatures & Creators of our worlds – Products of both
genes & environment.
• Genes can respond to the environment:
• Girls raised in fatherless households experience puberty earlier
• We don’t inherit a fear of snakes but a genetic predisposition to fear them.
• While our ability to learn a language seems natural, it requires being exposed to one.
• Antisocial behavior needs a specific gene and maltreatment to activate it.