biology and culture (social psych ch 5)

1. People are programmed to be social

2. Many universal behavior and language patterns have been identified

3. Universal behaviors arise from our biological similarity

4. We seem to be more alike than different

How Are We Influenced by Biology?

natural selection

what is the evolutionary process by which heritable traits that best enable organisms to survive and reproduce in particular environments are passed to ensuing generations?

1. People are programmed to be social

2. Many universal behavior and language patterns have been identified

3. Universal behaviors arise from our biological similarity

4. We seem to be more alike than different

How Are We Influenced by Biology?

natural selection

what is the evolutionary process by which heritable traits that best enable organisms to survive and reproduce in particular environments are passed to ensuing generations?

Evolutionary psychology:

what is the branch of psychology focused on the study of the evolution of cognition and behavior using principles of natural selection?

employ hindsight (Evolutionary psychologists sometimes start with a finding and then work backward to construct an explanation for it —> divergent thinking vs convergent)

why do critics argue that evolutionary explanations are weak?

worry evolutionary explanations justify aggression as natural behavior

what aspect are critics afraid of in the evolutionary explanation?

Cultures change much faster than our collective gene pool changes

how should culture be considered when talking about evolutionary psychology?

culture

what is the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next?

no

is cultural transmission perfect? (how rituals/traditions are passed down)

young people

where does change in cultural transmission come from?

norms

what is the name for standards of accepted and expected behavior?

Cynicisms, social complexity, reward for application, spirituality, fate control

what are the components of the big five social beliefs?

Gender role

what is a set of behavior expectations (norms) for males and females?

yes

do gender roles vary over time?

• More fat, less muscle

• Shorter and weighs less

• More sensitive to smells and sounds

• Twice as likely to experience anxiety disorders or depression

what constitutes the average female?

• Slower to enter puberty

• Quicker to die

• More likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, commit suicide, or be killed by lightning

• More capable of wiggling his ears

what constitutes the average male?

women give more priority to close, intimate relationships

what did several late-twentieth-century feminist psychologist determine about women over men?

empathy

what is the vicarious experience of another’s feelings; or putting oneself in another’s shoes called?

agression

what is physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone?