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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE
69
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
08/30/2014

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Term
INSTINCTUAL PROCESSES
Definition
  • AS FIXED ACTION PATTERNS IN A VARIETY OF SPECIES
  • Tinbergen (1974); he crated the card board dummy birds and varied the color of the sspot on the bill.
  • ex)instinctual processes in birds was an alarm reaction to a predator flying overhead. The same bird of prey silhouette could produce a different reaction depedning on its direction, suggesting some complexity in reaction.
Term
From a ethological perspective, Tinbergen (1963) suggested that there are 4 "why's" to be considered when studying behavior:
Definition
  1. causation
  2. development
  3. evolution
  4. function
Term
FITNESS
Definition
HUMAN THOLOGY SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY SPECIFIC BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS IN HUMANS EVOLVED, INCLUDING THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES INVOVLED.
Term

1. The evolutionary perspective helps us understand _______________________________.

Definition
the critical mechanisms involved in behavior and experience and also offers a valuable perspective on how these processes came about.
Term

2. Until the nineteenth century, philosophers and scientists generally viewed world and life on it as ____________.

Definition
STABLE AND NEVER-CHANGING
Term

3. According to the author, the history of psychology can be conceptualized as an intellectual struggle between those who stress nature and those who stress nurture as more important in psychology.

Definition
nature and those who stress nurture as more important in psychology.
Term

4. Unlike modern evolutionary psychology, Darwin’s theory of natural selection did not emphasize _____________.

Definition
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES
Term

5. Data from around the world on sex differences indicate that when a murder is committed it is________________.

Definition

MORE LIKELY TO BE COMMITTED BY A MAN THAN A WOMAN

Term

6. Considering psychology from an evolutionary perspective helps us to understand the tight coupling between_________________.

Definition
 organisms and their environment.
Term

7. Ethology is the study of ______________________.

Definition
animals and what they do. The word is derived from the Greek and means manner,trait, or character. Ethology is also the naturalistic observation of behavior in an organism's natural environment.
Term

8. Describe features of imprinting.

Definition

Imprinting ought to be understood as a built-in characteristic of young birds, 18-36 hours old, tofollow the first moving object in front of them. A bird’s innate schema or innate template characteristic is understood as an innate brain pattern, or template with in the young birds behavior. The young birds tend to follow their mothers, or females of the same species, through the use of a social releaser recognizing the female’s mannerisms.  There is a limited time period, known as the critical period or sensitive period, that the young bird must imprint.  If the young bird does not imprint onto another creature, or object then it has been observed that the bird shows terror.  Birds, such as geese, can imprint onto other species other than their own, such as humans.

Term

9.  What is the significance of imprinting and later sexual attraction in many bird species?

 

Definition
Imprinting is a built-in pattern in many bird species. It has significance during the first 18-36 hours after birth, in which the baby bird will follow the first organism it sees moving, in later life the bird will court that species. If this encounter does not take place the bird will show signs of terror. 
Term

10. Describe a fixed action pattern?

 

Definition

A fixed action pattern is an action pattern released by a stimulus that always uses the same physiological mechanisms to achieve the same sequence of actions. It requires no learning it is characteristic of a species cannot be learned and once released it will continue in the absence of the triggering stimulus.

Term

11. From an ethological perspective, Tinbergen (1963) suggested that there were four “ways” to be considered when studying behavior. Describe each.

Definition

causation- what are the physiological mechanisms that are activated by environmental cues that cause this behavior?

development-how did this behavior develop in the individual?

evolution-how was the behavior evolved?

function-what is the function or survival value of the behavior?

Term

12. According to Eibl-Eibesfeldt, human ethology involves more than just extending animal processes to humans; it also has to take into account CULTURAL BEHAVIOR OF PATTERNS Why?

Definition

Eibl-Eibesfeldt could base this behavior on the way humans design uniforms and play organized sports, as well as practice culture.  Speech also plays a crucial role.  This criterion contributes to survival and fitness. 

Term

13. According to Eibl-Eibesfeldt, adaptations reflect features of the ____________ relevant to survival.

Definition
environment
Term
14. Fisher put Darwin’s theory of natural selection on a more scientific footing by synthesizing it with 
Definition
mathematical formulation
Term

15. One of Fisher’s important mathematical demonstrations was that natural selection progresses through

Definition
THE ACCUMULATION OF MANY SMALL CHANGES IN GENES, RATHER THAN A FEW LARGE CHANGES
Term

16. Dobzhansky explained the origin of species in terms of isolating mechanisms, which are factors that cause__________________.

Definition
 organisms to become genetically incompatible with the larger population
Term

17. The so-called “modern synthesis” combines the study of EVOLUTION with the study of GENETICS

Definition
EVOLUTION; GENETICS
Term
18. Altruism is a particular problem for the theory of natural selection because it involves behaviors that apparently may not
Definition
FAVOR THE SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL
Term
19. Hamilton explained altruism in terms of inclusive fitness, a property that can be measured by considering the reproductive success of both
Definition
THE INDIVIDUAL and THE EFFECTS OF AN INDIVIDUALS ACTIONS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF ITS RELATIVES.
Term

20. According to Hamilton’s rule, it is the ----------- that benefits from an altruistic act.

Definition

 ORGANISM

Term

21. Williams argued that the concept of _____________ was used too loosely and should only be used when no other explanation is plausible.

Definition

 ADAPTATION

Term

22. Trivers developed a theory of reciprocal altruism that explains helpful behavior among _________

Definition
NON-KIN
Term

23. Trivers’ theory of parental investment predicts that the sex that invests more in its offspring will have evolved to be more _____________.

Definition
discriminating in selecting its mating partner.
Term

24. Wilson’s book Sociobiology created a controversy because the 1970s was a time when the social sciences assumed that _______________________. 

Definition
Humans came into the world as a blank-slate, and that experience determined almost all psychological and societal characteristics they displayed
Term

25. Bowlby proposed that we need to consider conditions in the environment of evolutionary adaptedness to understand the survival value of _______________.

Definition
PRESENT DAY BEHAVIORS AND EXPERIENCES
Term

26. The metaphor for the Standard Social Science Model_________________.

Definition
 is is the perspective that assumes that organisms come into the world as a blank slate (tabula rasa in Latin) written on through experience. From this perspective, humans are completely malleable. It reflects the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate
Term

27. Describe Cosmides and Tooby’s five guiding principles of evolutionary psychology.

Definition

principle 1: the brain is a physical system. It functions as a computer. It’s circuits are designed to generate behavior that is appropriate to your environmental circumstances

principle 2: our neural circuits were designed by natural selection to solve problems that our ancestors faced during our species evolutionary history

principle 3: consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg. most of what goes on in your mind is hidden from you. As a result, your conscious experience can mislead you into thinking that our circuitry is simpler than it really is. Most problems that you experience as easy to solve are very difficult to solve--they require very complicated neural circuitry.

principle 4: different neural circuits are specialized for solving different adaptive problems

principle 5: our modern skulls house a Stone Age mind.

 

 

Term

28. According to Cosmides and Tooby, adaptive problems have been with us throughout our history as a species,

Definition
  THE SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS AFFECTS THE REPRODUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMS
Term

29. When the Wason selection task is framed as a(n) LOGICAL problem, most people answer incorrectly; however, when it is framed as a(n) SOCIAL EXCHANGE problem, most people answer correctly.

Definition
LOGICAL;SOCIAL EXCHANGE
Term

30. Describe assumptions of the evolutionary psychology perspective?

Definition

There are three assumptions.

 1) Universal human nature results from evolved psychological mechanisms.

2) These evolved psychological mechanisms are adaptations, constructed by natural selection over evolutionary times and

3) Structure of human mind is adapted to the way of life of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers and not necessarily to that of the current era.

Term

31. Humans appear to be different from other ______ in that we walk upright, have little hair on our bodies, and have no natural predators.

Definition

 SPECIES

Term

33._____ is the study of animals and what they do; it involves the naturalistic observation of behavior in an organism 19s natural environment.

Definition
Ethology
Term

34. ________ is a built-in pattern in which the newborn of some bird species will follow an object, typically their mother, that moves in front of them during the first day or so after birth.

Definition
imprinting
Term

35. The limited time period during which a behavior can be acquired is referred to as the ________________.

Definition
CRITICAL AND SENSITIVE PERIOD
Term

36. ______ is a measure of how much a behavioral pattern contributes to the survival of the offspring.

Definition
Fittness
Term

37.______ reflect features of the environment relevant to survival; for example, the human visual system reflects the transmission of light through air.

Definition
Fitness
Term
38. Dobzhansky argued that genetic mutations alone could not account for the evolution of new species; instead, what was needed was________that would, over time, make one population dissimilar to another related population
Definition
 isolating mechanisms
Term

39. The question of why individuals would engage in behaviors that benefited others at their own expense is known as _____-

iors, sexual selection and parenting; for example, it explains why human females tend to be choosier about sexual partners than males.

Definition
Altruism
Term

43. The historical environment in which humans experienced difficulties, found food, mated and raised children, and formed and lived with others in social groups is known as the _________________.

Definition
ENVIRONMENT OF EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTIVENESS
Term

44. The model of human behavior that assumes experience plays the major role and views the mind as a blank slate is known as the _________________________.

Definition
STANDARD SOCIAL SCIENCE MODEL
Term

45. ______have two characteristics: first, they have been with us throughout our history as a species; and second, they have an influence on the reproduction of individual organisms.

Definition
Adaptive Problems
Term

40. ________ is a property that can be measured by considering the reproductive success of the individual plus the effects of an individual’s actions on the reproductive success of its relatives.

Definition
inclusive fitness
Term

41. Because humans lived in small groups during the evolutionary past, they developed a tendency to do favors for others with the expectation that they can receive help when needed; this is known as _____________________.

Definition
RECIPROCAL ALTRUISM.
Term

42. The idea of ____________brings together questions related to mating behavior. People generally perform poorly on the logic problem known as the Wason selection task, unless it presented as a __________________.

Definition
PARENTAL INVESTMENT ; SOCIAL EXCHANGE PROBLEM (AS OPPOSED TO A LOGICAL PROBLEM)
Term

47. Data from around the world indicate that when a murder is committed, it is ___ times more likely to have been committed by a man than by a woman.

Definition
Ten
Term

48. Imprinting involves both the characteristic behavior of the mother and the innate brain pattern or the hatchling; Lorenz suggested imprinting worked like a ______.

Definition
LOCK and KEY
Term

49. Lorenz and Tinbergen experimented with the egg-rolling movement of the Greylag goose; they found that, once started, it continued even if the egg were no longer there, and they referred to this kind of movement as a ______________.

Definition
ACTION PATTERN
Term

50. The _____________ combines the study of evolution by natural selection as developed by Darwin with the study of genetics as developed by Mendel.

Definition
GENETIC THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION
Term

51. Altruism is a problem for the theory of evolution by natural selection. Why? Explain how Hamilton’s and Trivers’ ideas helped resolve this problem. Can you think of any examples of altruistic behavior that are still left unexplained? 

Definition
Darwin did examine social systems that promoted reproductive success of a species, but he did not look deeply enough into the social relations in general or altruism in particular.  Hamilton asked the question”why would individuals engage in behaviors that did not benefit them in terms of survival or passing on their genes?”  The answer Hamilton proposed, was an organism that acts altruistically ensures that genetic material similar to it’s own will be passed on. If the behavior helps to ensure the passing of genes similar to one’s own, then this is the behavior that would be favored. Even if the behavior of an individual is altruistic, it is really just performed in the service of the gene.  Trivers elaborated on this idea by presenting theories such as, those who help others would be helped in return and thus had a greater chance of surviving to pass on the genes related to these processes.  Furthermore, Trivers offered that parents who invest into their children with greater discrimination do so to perpetuate the success of their offspring survival.   
Term

52. How did Dobzhansky define a species? How did he explain the evolution of new species?

Definition

He wrote Genetics and the Origin of Species. Inside was explanation for how species actually came into existence. Mutations crop up naturally all the time. Some mutations are harmful in certain circumstances, but a surprising number have no effect one way or the other. These neutral changes appear in different populations and linger, creating variability that is far greater than anyone had previously imagined. When he studied fruit flies and argues that they might lose ability to interbreed completely.

Term

53. Describe the environment of evolutionary adaptedness for humans. How does it contrast with modern life? Why is it important to consider the EEA when searching for explanations for human behavior? Give an example or two.

Definition

The Environment of evolutionary adaptedness refers to the historical environment in which humans experienced difficulties, found food, mated and raised children, and formed and lived with others.  We use the EEA to inform our considerations of our present-day behaviors and experiences, especially in terms of survival value.  

Term

54. Contrast the Standard Social Science Model with the Evolutionary Psychology approach.

These two approaches reflect a much larger debate within psychology. What is it?

Definition

The Standard Social Science Model can be briefly described as “the mind is a blank slate.” The SSSM assumes that experience influences our behavior more than anything, and therefore experience demonstrates the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate. While the SSSM is a nurture approach, the evolutionary approach is more nature-nurture. The evolutionary approach argues that a full explanation of a physical or behavioral trait requires both evolutionary explanations, and environmental explanations. This sparks the debate of not nature vs nurture, but nature-nurture vs nurture.  

Term

55. Evolutionary psychologists say there is a universal human nature. What do they mean by this? What assumptions are associated with this approach? What sorts of questions are easier to answer using this approach? 

Definition
 Universals such as, mate selection or emotional expression, were seen to reflect ways in which humans adapted to their environmental conditions during the broad historical period humans have inhabited the earth. Assumptions have been made by Tooby and Cosmides which suggest that individual differences were simply “noise” without adaptive significance.  However, it should be mentioned that development of specific personalities fits consistently with an evolutionary perspective and can be described in terms of genetic and human/ environment interactions.
Term
One of the first tasks in human ethology is to identify_______.
Definition

innate behavioral processes; and adaptation overtime becomes key in the understanding of human behavioral processes.

ex) human infants have a "rooting relfex," in which the infant moves towards a mothers nipple.As well as in human infants and the relation to facial features, including large eyes and foreheads; it serves to relsea mechanisms that bring positive valenced affectionate responses from adults.

Term
One of Fisher's important mathmatical demonstrations was understanding that____________________; which helped set the stage for an intergation of the study of gentics witht he study of evolution though natural selection.
Definition
natural selection progresses by the accumlation of many small changes in genes, rather than a few large changes. He related this to Fitness (height,bone, tooth size, ect.)He found there is an "optimal lentgh" which brought about the "optimal measurement" which was the same as the mean, average value, exhibited by the species at hand.
Term
Theodosius Dobzhansky; in "genetic variablity" is the_____________.
Definition
this determines the differences in poputions of a species. It bcame clear that members of same species can have different genetic variations.
Term
isolating mechanisms
Definition
lots of factors come not play here, but it ranges from chnages in the enviorment geographically to changes in physiology.
Term
The basic idea of recipical altruism is that.....
Definition
our own fitness, in an evolutionary sense, can be increased if we can expect others to help us in some times in the future.
Term
investments
Definition
in this case, are factors such as time, energy, and effort that increase the offsprings chances of survival. When an organism is investing in one offspring it in return reduces its ability to produce additional offspring.
Term
genetic determinism
Definition
this idea is that all aspects of human behavior can be explained by the presence of genes.
Term
enviroment of evolutionary adaptness (EEA)
Definition
Bowlby referred to the historical enviroment in which humans expeirenced difficulties, found in food, mated and raised children, and formed and lived with others in social groups as the________
Term
Evolutionary psychology
Definition
is the the appraoch to psychology, in which knowdlege and principles from evolutionary biology are put to use in research on the structure of the human mind. It is a way of thinking about psychology that can be applied to any topic with in it.
Term
computational
Definition
refers to the matter in whichsuch processes as cognitive, emotional, and motor functions are regulated by neural networks in response to to internal and external behavioral processes.
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