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Summary evolutionary psychology exam notes
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My revision notes for evolutionary psychology, in-depth with references.
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Length: 1000-1500 wordsAltruism
Coefficient of relationship – measure of the degree of biological relationship between two
individuals. Highest degree of relationship is 100% (identical twins). Evolutionary psychologists argue
that humans assess their genetic relatedness to other people, and the amount of relatedness
motivates how prosocial they are towards other people. Those closer to us genetically treated more
favourably.
All human behaviours are influenced by the physical and psychological tendencies of our ancestors.
Savannah – our environment of evolutionary adaptedness. Each adaption of the mind has arisen to
meet challenges on EEA.
Altruism – the desire to help another person, even if it involves a cost to the helper. Darwin
perspective of ‘survival of the fittest’ seems to infer that selfishness is the natural way to behave.
However, study of animals reveals that helping is natural. Everyday, people help others not related
to them.
Kin selection theory – we are more likely to help relatives, those we are closely genetically related
to. As if we help a relatives some of our shared genetic material will still be passed on (inclusive
fitness). The genes for altruism are passed on because they improve the inclusive fitness of the
group. Hamiltons rule, marmoset monkeys use a system of cooperative breeding, in a social group
only one female breeds while the others, normally younger relatives, help with child care, (Digby et
al., 2007). In a study of wild baboons, researchers waited for two unrelated females to sit together
then played them recordings of either two of the females relatives fighting each other, a relative of
one fighting with a third party or two random unrelated females fighting. If a relative of one of the
females was fighting she would look towards the recording longer, if two of their relatives was
fighting the higher ranking female would remind the supplant the other female from her spot
(Cheney & Seyfarth, 1999). Thus, with other primates kinship determines patterns of co-operation
and competition.
Reciprocal altruism theory – suggested by Trivers (1971), we may help non-relatives, providing they
reciprocate our actions in the future. If the benefit received is larger than the initial cost, these
individuals will out-produce others.
Warneken and Tomasello (2006) study if 18 month old children help adults. It seems children help
when they can tell that the obstacles were not done on purpose. This shows that the children really
want to help the adult achieve their goal.
Warneken, Chen and Tomasello (2006) investigated young children(aged 18 and 24 months) and
chimpanzees that partook in cooperative problem-solving activities and social games. During each
task after a while the adult stopped participating in the activity. Children 18 months old are able to
co-operate with adults to achieve a goal, and seek out adult to continue participation (requires an
understanding of others goals and altruistic motivation). Chimpanzees were uninterested in the
social games and made no attempt to reengage the adult. The results found that chimpanzees seem
to be able to reach their own goal, by coordinating with the adult, but this was for their own
purpose. They didn’t seem to think of the adult as a cooperative partner with the intention of
working together. Thus, this shows that from a young age, humans understand the cooperative
quality of some collaborations and the reciprocal roles involved.
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