Chapter 4 Evolutionary Psychology

What branch of psychology applies the Darwinian theory of natural selection to human and animal behaviour?

Evolutionary psychology

Is evolutionary psychology in total disagreement with creationists’ beliefs?

No, not always

What do evolutionary psychologists say is a mechanism designed by evolution to ensure that the individual attends to beneficial or harmful stimuli?

Emotion or feelings

A theory from evolutionary psychology is that a lot of human behaviors developed based upon us living in more (complex/simplier) societies.

simpler societies

(T/F) Critics of evolutionary psychology often state that these psychologists are ‘deterministic’, i.e. they ignore the role of the environment in shaping human behaviour.

True

What does adaptive and maladaptive mean?

Simple survival good useful and maladaptive is opposite

adaptive: behaviour or traits are good for survival (useful purpose) and increase individual’s ability to adjust to environment

maladaptive: is opposite, so it is anything bad or any harmful traits/behaviours (bad for survival) that decrease individual ability to cope with environment