Download Theory: Sociobiology

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