quiz - sociobiology

sociobiology

the study of factors driving the evolution of social behavior; examines the biological basis for behavior

some examples of adaptive, evolved social behaviors include

• mother’s protective nature over their offspring

• altruism

• aggression

• killing of lion cubs by newly dominant male (increasing male’s fitness)

Belyaev’s breeding experiment

atempted to breed for domestic traits in foxes by experimenting with breeding dogs; domesticated phenotype arose in dogs including spots on coat and floppier ears

implication: behavioral and physical traits could be correlated; behaviors help animals adapt to social life and are evolutionarily successful

Darwin was the first to consider human behavior through

an evolutionary lens

humans having all similar facial expressions to convey similar emotions is evidence that

emotions may have been biologically evolved

what is an example that facial expressions could have had an evolutionary function?

grimacing at bitter food/bad smells —> communicate danger/safety, disgust —> avoidance of harmful material

evolutionary psychology

attempts to identify evolved, underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavior; focuses on psychological processes

evolved behaviors may be maladaptive. an example includes

motivation for high sugar/high fat foods that helped ancestors find high quality foods to survive

nature interacts with nurture in sociobiology because

• social and cultural factors change human behavior (nurture) but biological factors also play a significant role (nature)

• humans have the capacity to change their behaviors to better fit in with society; nature can help w/ nurture (ex. Phineas Gage’s socially inappropriate behavior after frontal lobe damage)

• the environment (nurture) may cause changes in gene expression (nature)

three basic tenants of human sociobiology research include

1. the human mind and behavior are/were shaped by natural selection

2. the human mind uses heuristics (strategies) to increase the likelihood of solving problems our ancestors routinely faced

3. there is a shared, and more or less universal, core human nature

the cinderella effect

• is the phenomenon of favoritism for genetically related children and higher incidence of mistreatment by stepparents than biological parents

• evidence that human mind and behavior are/were shaped by natural selection

• shows that evolution favors inclusive fitness - ensuring survival and reproduction of genetically related offspring - and kinship selection that favors relative’s survival even over their own

the Wason task

• shows that a puzzle posed in a social and evolutionarily-relevant context is easier to solve than an asocial context

• is evidence for the strategies we use to increase the likelihood of solving problems, developed from when our ancestors routinely faced such problems

why does the Wason task work?

may be evidence that humans have “cheater detection” modules that weed out those who have no intention for social reciprocity

why is detecting and punishing cheaters important?

people who can cheat are punished; supports social cooperation

what is an example of evidence for the idea that core human nature is more or less universal/shared?

men & women select partners who will increase reproductive success

• men prefer younger female mates b/c they have higher fertility

• women prefer older male mates b/c they have more experience, resources

• across cultures and genders, facial attractiveness includes symmetry, and indicates good health + increased fertility

controversies and criticisms of sociobiology inclue

1. naturalistic fallacy

2. biological determinism

3. “just so” stories

4. little is known about humans in ancient times

naturalistic fallacy

the assumption that a trait or behavior that has naturally evolved must always be advantageous and morally good

biological determinism

assumes that behaviors are innate and due to genetics, brain size, and other biological attributes, while social and cultural factors play little role

”just so” stories are

untestable narrative explanations for a behavior/practice/trait