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Theory: Sociobiology Theorist: O.E. Wilson Biography: O.E. Wilson is a researcher, conversationalist, biologist, and theorist best known for his work in ecology, evolution, and sociobiology. Wilson became enamored with nature at a young age when a fishing accident left him legally blind in one eye. He has received degrees from the University of Alabama (BS, MS) and Harvard University (PhD) where he studied entomology, specifically focusing on ants. Wilson also received a D.Sc. from Bates College in 1996. Wilson has been a Professor at Harvard University since 1956. He has been active in the conservation movement, advocating for the preservation of habitat and biodiversity of species. Wilson developed the foundations for understanding the biological basis for social behavior in insects, which eventually led to his controversial finding that that the preservation of the gene, rather than the individual, is the focus of evolution. He has been awarded two Pulitzer prizes, as well as the National Medal of Science (1977) and the Crafoord Prize (1990). Description of Theory: Sociobiology has been a controversial theory since O.E. Wilson coined the term in the 1970’s. The theory suggests that many social behaviors have been shaped by natural selection for reproductive success (2005). To put it another way, we form relationships with people who we feel will be best for the survival of our genes, men select women who are fertile, and women pick men who are able to provide for a child, as well as fertility. This theory is based on the idea that some behaviors (both social and individual) are at least partly inherited and can be affected by natural selection. It exacerbates the thinking that behaviors have evolved over time, similar to the way that physical traits are thought to have evolved. Sociobiologists assume that humans, like other organisms, have behavioral control systems with particular functions whose evolutionary history can be individually traced (Dusek, 2005). The debate whether a person’s behavior and personality are predetermined by genetics (nature) or mainly shaped by environmental factors (nurture) has loomed for decades. Much of the research done by Wilson was based on his study of insects. It became apparent to him that animal behavior was the product of heredity, environmental stimuli, and past experiences, and that free will was an illusion (Wilson, 2000). He has referred to the biological basis of behavior as the "genetic leash." Advocates of sociobiology tend to see humans as just another species of animal and as part of nature, whereas its critics tend to envision humans as radically different from animals and as separate from nature (2005). Furthermore, critics feel standard sociobiological models are inadequate to account for human behavior, because they ignore the contributions of the mind and culture. Theory Measurement/Instrumentation: Several studies have been conducted to attempt to explain the sociobiological effects of child maltreatment. These studies looked to test the importance of several factors deemed critical to the etiology of child abuse by sociobiologists (1994). These factors include the relationship of the perpetrator, the gender of the victim, the gender of the perpetrator, and the income level of the abusive family. Hypotheses from these studies were both logical and concise: 1) Parents should be inclined to invest more resources in an offspring or a full sibling than in a cousin or half-sibling, and more in any of these than in a stepchild. 2) Parents should also be less inclined to injure a close relative than an unrelated individual. 3) Children will be at greater risk for abuse when living with stepparents or other nonbiological parental figures than when living with two biological parents. 4) Biological parents are more likely to abandon, abuse, or neglect their offspring in times of scarce resources. 5) Biological parents will abuse their own progeny less severely than would non-biological parents. 6) Non-biological parents would commit more serious types of abuse than would biological parents. Conclusions from these studies are mixed, as it turned out some predictions were not supported by the research. It was found that children to be at highest risk for both abuse and neglect in father-only households. Consistent with the sociobiological notion that parents are more likely to harm offspring in whom they have yet to invest many resources, Lenington (1994) found that children under one year of age were at the highest risk for severe abuse. However, the incidence of maltreatment is not associated in the predicted fashion with such factors as relatedness, gender of biological parents, and the propensity of biological parents to abuse sons and daughters differentially depending on family income. The results of the present study thus provide limited support for sociobiological interpretations of child abuse. Report Prepared by Khaaliq Salim References Boeree, C. George. (1998). Sociobiology. Retrieved from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/sociobiology.html Dusek, Val. (2005). Sociobiology Sanitized: The Evolutionary Psychology and Genetic Selectionism Debates. Science as Culture 24, Retrieved from http://www.humannature.com/science-as-culture/dusek.html Lamb, Michael E & Malkin, Catherine M (1994). Child Maltreatment: A Test of Sociobiological Theory. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 25, Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/reader/action/open/5000211656 Sociobiology. (2005). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sociobiology/ Wilson, Edward O, (2000). Sociobiology: The New Synthesis Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press