human sociobiology

key concepts

still used in eugenics + nature/nurture to divide humanity into high and low classes

Francis Galton as key promoter

disclaimer about sociobiology

• justification for eugenics (study of how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase heritable characteristics)

  • led by Francis Galton

• forced hysterectomy of black and Hispanic women

goal of scientists: understand the relationship b/t genes and the environment on evolution

what is sociobiology

scientific factors of evolution that drive social behaviors

• adaptive, physical traits

• adaptive social behavior

study of different things that drive the evolution of social behavior

Dmitry sociobiology example

isolate the genes that make dogs easy to train 

• started as a fox breeding program → physical changes of domestication phenotype such as bigger floppier ears (behavioral and physical traits are correlated)

Darwin: history of observations

human behavior is evolutionary due to shared facial expressions

• study of remote tribe, finding similar facial expressions

humans expressed very similar emotions (surprise, disgust, horror, etc) through facial expressions

why evolved?

facial emotions

• disgust to avoid harmful material

• communicate danger or safety

history: Wilson

E.O. Wilson with “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis”

→ studied ants and bees

• analyze social behaviors through an evolutionary lens rather than psychological or sociological

  • coined the term sociobiology within his own book

    • study of human behaviors

• distaste by public that humans could be studied in this very experimental way similar to animals

evolutionary psychology

how evolution affected the ability to express emotions

• potential maladaptive behaviors that are no longer advantageous b/c human society changes so rapidly

• focus on psychological processes; identify evolved, underlying psychological mechanisms that influence behavior

•Humans have emotional, motivational, and cognitive adaptations that generally increased fitness in the past

nature vs nurture

Nurture can flexibly regulate gene expression

→ environment can actually change how genes are expressed

basic tenants of human sociobiology

1 the human mind and behavior are shaped by natural selection

• Cinderalla effect where genetic child of mother is treated better (kinship selection)

2. the human mind uses heuristics to increase survival

   • cheater detection (Wason Task) where humans solve problems better when framed in a social context

   • related to altruism where cheater detection improves group fitness and social reciprocity in large groups

3. there is a shared, universal core human nature

   • men prefer younger women → common, evolved human trait

   • facial symmetry is attractive which suggests good health and fertility

Cinderella effect

• kinship selection - evolutionary strategy that favors reproductive success of organism’s relatives

• evolutionarily predisposition to care more for our genetic offspring (inclusive fitness)

• altruism: evolutionarily more likely to help people that increase our fitness 

cheater detection

altruist behaviors

• humans can solve problems better when that problem is framed in a social context (Wason Task)

• if you don’t punish cheaters, cooperation doesn’t happen in large group

mate age preference by sex

• men prefer younger women and women prefer older men

• consistent across culture → common, evolved human trait

evolved trait and constructed in societies

facial symmetry is attractive

both men and women select mating partners who enhance reproductive success

facial symmetry suggests good health and fertility

naturalistic fallacy controversy

what is found in nature is good

• evolutionary psychology and sociobiology communities have never argued evolved traits are justified

distrust of people who look different → necessary for hunter-gatherers competing for food access

biological determinism

most human characteristics are determined at conception

• social forces do play a role in gene expression

objections to sociobiology: ignores environmental influences, gives too much weight to genes

‘just so’ theories

untestable narrative explanations for behaviors or traits

origin with Kipling

people think that these stories are made up on the spot or scientists use ‘adaptive storytelling’ to explain why some traits were adapted in humans

• scientists are not trying to make up stories, trying to understand why traits or behaviors evolved

basic facial expressions are human universals

• basic Western facial expressions are on the left; same expressions across cultures

functional facial expressions

• disgust: may work to remove harmful item from person’s mouth and communicate disgust

• may have evolved to benefit the expresser by modifying perception → surprise wides eyes, increases perceptions of surroundings

adaptive, evolved physical traits

thick fur in animals living in cold regions

altruism

aggression

mothers’ protection of offspring