Evolutionary Psych- Class 12

theories for persistence of schizo

genetic resilience, social function advantages, and cognitive trade-offs

cognitive trade-offs

pattern detection and associative thinking are useful for creativity but can become maladaptive

cognitive flexibility is also impaired and could be an evolved trait under certain circumstances

modern environment effects on schizo

they may exacerbate genetic predispositions

• urbanization, social isolation, and high-stress living conditions contribute to increased risl

the evolutionary model for suggest that schizophrenia risk arises when?

environmental conditions deviate from ancestral norms

• ancestral societies may have provided protective factors that mitigated the expression of psychotic traits

schizophrenia is linked to disruptions in?

brain development

• delayed maturation of certain brain regions may contribute

• could be because of evolutionary pressures

• could be an unintended consequence of brain evolution

schizo and neuroplasticity

may be linked to maladaptive changes in neuroplasticity

• increased synaptic pruning during adolescence

schizophrenia as a Cost of Human Brain Expansion

evolutionary pressures on language and abstract thought may increase psychotic vulnerability

• schizo could be evolutionary by products of advanced intelligence

schizophrenia-associated traits have been linked to?

creativity and divergent thinking

• creative people exhibit cognitive traits similar to schizo but at lower intensities

• evolutionary perspectives suggests schizophrenia traits may persist due to the link of creativity

schizophrenia as a by product of intelligence evolution

•Human intelligence evolved rapidly, requiring complex brain structures.

•Schizophrenia-related genes may be linked to cognitive complexity.

•Extreme intelligence and psychosis share some overlapping traits.

•The costs of advanced cognition may include increased risk for schizophrenia.

social brain hypothesis and schizophrenia

schizophrenia could be an extreme variation of social cognition mechanisms

• deficits in theory of mind and social communication could be maladaptive by-products

  • paranoia and delusions may result from exaggerated threat-detection processes

schizophrenia and sexual selection

•Some theories propose schizophrenia-related traits may have been sexually selected.

•Creativity and nonconformity could have been attractive in ancestral societies.

•However, severe symptoms likely reduce reproductive success.

The theory remains speculative and lacks strong empirical support

Mismatch Hypothesis and Modernity

•Schizophrenia may arise from a mismatch between modern and ancestral environments.

•Urbanization and social fragmentation may exacerbate genetic vulnerabilities.

•Ancestral societies had more structured social roles that may have mitigated symptoms.

•Rapid societal changes could heighten risks for psychotic disorders

Immunological Hypothesis of Schizophrenia

some cases are related to immune origins

• infections during pregnancy have been linked to increased risk

• Toxoplasma gondii infection is linked to higher risk

aligns with evolutionary trade-off models involving immune functions

Group Selection and Schizophrenia Traits

schizo traits have some group-level advantages

• unusual cognitive styles can contribute to innovative problem-solving

• mild symptoms may have served as unique social roles

Paranoia and Adaptive Threat Detection

mild paranoia helps with detecting social threats

• excessive can be maladaptive

• evolutionary models suggest paranoia may be a trade-off for hyper-vigilance

Evolutionary Trade-offs in Schizophrenia

•Schizophrenia may involve trade-offs in cognitive and social functions.

•Certain schizophrenia-related traits may have provided advantages in problem-solving.

•Evolutionary selection pressures may have preserved schizophrenia-related genes despite their costs.

•The persistence of schizophrenia highlights the complexity of evolutionary adaptations.

dopamine

plays a key role in motivation, learning, and reward processing

• schizophrenia involves dysregulation of dopaminergic pathways

evolutionary models suggest dopamine imbalances may have conferred?

past advantages

• dopamine-related traits, such as heightened curiosity, could have been adaptive

what is a core feature of schizophrenia?

emotional dysregulation

• evol theories suggest emotions evolved for social adaption

disruptions in emotional processing may reflect?

an extreme version of typical adaption mechanisms

• social withdrawal in schizo may be linked to maladaptive emotional responses

Evolutionary Functions of Hallucination

hallucinations may represent an exaggerated form of normal perceptual processing

• theories suggest hallucination may have had survival advantages in certain contexts

heightened perceptual processing could be useful when?

in dangerous situations for ancestral humans

• auditory hallucinations could be misfiring of internal thought processes

what is a hallmark of schizo?

disorganized thinking

• mild disorganization can be used for creative problem-solving

• extreme can impair survival and social adaptation

cognitive fragmentation can be an unintended consequence of?

flexible thinking