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Samenvatting Evolutionary Psychology - Workman & Reader
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Samenvatting PB1402-Evolutionaire Psychologie
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Samenvatting Evolutionary PsychologyVerandering Tijdsmoment
ULTIMAAT fylogenese functie
PROXIMAAT ontwikkeling mechanisme
Functie = waar is het voor?
Ontwikkeling = hoe is het ontwikkeld?
Fylogenese = hoe is het geëvolueerd? studie van afstammingsgeschiedenis van een groep
Functie = hoe werkt het?
Just-so stories = evolutionaire verklaringen zonder hard bewijs, leuke verhalen zonder bewijskracht.
Moderne synthese = samensmelting van Darwins theorie met genetica. Evolutie = genetica + selectie
(+ tijd).
1. Introduction to evolutionary psychology
Human mind an organ that was designed by natural selection to guide the individual in making
decisions that aid survival and reproduction.
The origins of evolutionary psychology
Ultimate questions = why a particular behavior exists at all.
Proximate questions = how a particular behavior is caused (nature, nurture, neural,
cognitive?)
We do not benefit from our evolved behavior, our genes do. Learned behavior may not benefit genes
but the individual.
A history of evolutionary thinking
Evolution before Darwin
Ancient Greek Thales proposed that life evolved out of simpler elements, like water.
Aristoteles killed evolutionary thinking with his scala naturae = hierarchy of increasing perfection.
Kant wrote about possibility of evolution.
Darwin’s grandfather wrote about common ancestor and evolution.
Lamarck suggested inheritance of acquired characteristics ; changes in environment could change
animals. Theory is wrong as we can’t inherit learned behavior.
Darwin and natural selection
Natural selection depends on:
Heritable variation = individuals in a population differ from each other in ways that are
passed on to the offspring.
Differential reproductive success = as result of these differences, some individuals leave
more offspring than others.
,Copying errors sometimes lead to improvement. In this case the copy error becomes the norm.
Mendel and the birth of genetics
Mendel discovered that inheritance is particulate = for traits controlled by single genes, inheritance is
always particulate (A or B) and not a blend. Red or white, not pink.
From evolution to evolutionary psychology
Materialism = mind reducible to the activity of the brain. Mind and behavior product of evolution.
Early attempts at an evolutionary psychology
Francis Galton
Galton proposed that character and intelligence were inherited traits.
Eugenics = improve society and human race through selective breeding.
William James and the concept of instinct
James outlined instincts as driving forces of human behavior.
The rise of culture as a causal force in human behavior
Standard Social Science Model (SSSM) = traditional non-evolutionary social science approach, based
on:
Humans are born as blank slates, everything acquired from cultural environment
Human behavior determined by learning.
Misunderstanding that evolution means that humans are ‘more evolved’. All species are on a
different evolutionary tract.
Cultural relativity
Frans Boas founder of cultural relativism = differences between people due to differences in their
culture.
Biophobia = fear of biological explanations of human behavior.
This held back evolutionary psychology.
Sigmund Freud
Freud was interested in ultimate questions and had some Darwinian ideas (such as the id).
E. O. Wilson and sociobology
Wilson founded sociobology = study of biological basis of all social behavior.
Evolutionary psychology is seen as sociobiology but rebranded to make it more politically correct.
From sociobiology to evolutionary psychology
Evolutionary psychology proposed by a group at University of California Santa Barbara.
They proposed that evolutionary psychology differs from sociobiology because evolutionary
psychology takes a cognitive level of explanation.
Principles of evolutionary psychology:
1. Brain is a physical system, functions as computer
2. Neural circuits designed by natural selection to solve problems
3. Consciousness only the tip, most is unconscious
, 4. Neural circuits specialized for solving different problems (unique for ev. Psych.)
5. Our modern skulls house a stone-age mind (unique).
Mind composed of mental modules responsible for certain aspects of human behavior.
Principle 5 is controversial, even if we have a stone-age brain, it is not helpful in understanding
behavior.
Environment of Evolutionary Adaptiveness (EEA) = time period in which stone-age brain developed
, Evolutionary psychology: present and future
Methods for evaluating evolutionary theories
Many evolutionists too keen to see behavior as being adaptive and adaptive explanations lack
evidence because little is known about our ancestors.
Research methods:
Behavioral genetics study identical and non-identical twins
Comparative methods make comparisons between humans and animals
Cross-cultural evidence (also using hunter-gatherer societies)
Mathematical and computational modeling; simulation and statistics.
Disagreement in evolutionary psychology (statements not true)
Everything is an adaptation
Adaptation = process whereby a trait changes through natural selection so that it functions more
effectively in the current environment.
Many traits are not adapted, but side effects.
Evolutionary psychology espouses genetic determinism
Genetic determinism = everything about us is in our genes. (Not true!)
Evolutionists emphasize role of culture and environment. Genes do not cause, but predispose.
Evolutionary psychology is reductionists
Reductionism = explanation in terms of simpler, basic mechanisms.
Good/hierarchical reductionism = explained at lower levels, but do not replace higher levels.
Greedy reductionism = replace higher levels, explain everything at lowest level possible.
Consilience = researchers should work together with results being combined to form the big picture.
Evolutionary psychology is politically incorrect
Political criticism about differences between sexes.
Naturalistic fallacy = assume that because something is found in nature it is necessarily good or
desirable morally.
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