Ch. 2 Evolutionary Psychology and Attachment Theory (HECOL 210)

A comprehensive set of Q&A-style flashcards covering key concepts from Evolutionary Psychology and Attachment Theory as presented in the notes.

What is the general definition of a theory?

Interconnected sets of beliefs, knowledge, and assumptions that relate to understanding a phenomenon (any beliefs that help you understand the world, can be scientific or not)

How can models, perspectives, worldviews, frameworks, opinions, and stereotypes be thought of as theories?

They refer to pre-existing ideas that guide how we explain and integrate new observations

What is a key feature of scientific theories?

They are empirically testable / falsifiable

What is an example of a social theory?

People believe their fate is guided by their destiny (can’t be tested scientically)

What is the purpose of theories in studying relationships?

They determine what’s relevant and provide a framework for studying relationships (like a map)

Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis and popularized the distinction between the conscious and the unconscious mind. How would Freud approach intimate relationships?

Childhood connected to relationships.
Might try to connect how current relationship problems connect to childhood wounds

Skinner was the founder of radical behaviourism, the idea that behaviours are conditioned by their consequences and positive consequences make behaviours more likely. How would Skinner approach intimate relationships?

Skinner would analyze patterns of behaviours by examining the reinforcement and punishments in partner interactions

What are 3 key factors that make a theory influential?

1. Formally articulated (premises & hypotheses)

2. inspires lots of research to test theory

3. predictions have empirical support (withstand many tests)
   influential theories make accurate predictions

If a theory is popular does that make it influential?

No, popular does not mean influential

What is an example of a theory that is very popular but not scientifically influential?

5 love languages

The Five Love Languages is a theory about relationships that propose five fundamental ways that people express and want to receive love. What are the five love languages?

Words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, gifts

The Five Love Languages Theory claims relationship problems stem from partners speaking different languages. How has this been falsified?

Partners with the same love language don’t report more satisfying relationships

The Five Love Languages Theory claims each person is strongly inclined toward one language. How has this been falsified?

Existing studies show people tend to endorse all 5 love languages and primary love language can differ based on how it’s measured.

The 5 Love Languages Quiz gives prompts with only 2 options (can only pick this or that). Does this accurately show how couples interact?

No, gives a forced response (person might like both responses or neither)

Although the Five Love Languages is not scientifically valid, it has helped a lot of people in relationships by,

providing a non-threatening framework for communicating with partner

What are 3 criteria for a good theory of intimate relationships?

1. Encompass the full range of predictors

2. specify mechanisms / how relationships change over time

3. account for variability between and within couples over time

TRUE OR FALSE: a theory is only useful if it has real world application

True

What is Evolutionary Psychology built on?

Natural selection (Darwin); physical and psychological mechanisms evolved through sexual selection to attract and select mates.

What is the key defining feature / assumption of Evolutionary Psychology

Reproduction & child care

What is an example of sexual selection that helps an organism attract mates but actually impedes survival?

Peacock tail

According to the Evolutionary Psychology theory, how can we explain our current way of attracting partners? (Environment of evolutionary adaptedness)

explained through evolutionary adaptedness of our ancestors 10,000 years ago

What are psychological mechanisms?

inherited, prototypical ways of thinking humans developed in response to our environment (how we think)

True or False: The desire for sex is considered a psychological mechanism that is adaptive for reproduction

True

Evolutionary mismatch

evolved tendencies from the past prove to no longer be adaptive in the present day
ex. preference for sweet flavours (sweet food used to be nutritious)

How are smartphones an example of evolutionary mismatch?

Connection was critical for survival in ancient times, but smartphones can interfere with our ability to connect with others in person

Theory of Parental Investment

Women have higher obligatory parental investment compared to men, which leads to different mating behaviours and psychological mechanisms

What are successful mating behaviour for males according to Parental Investment theory?

-Having a large number of sexual partners
-Engaging in aggressive behaviour to protect partners and offspring and to deter competition.

What are successful mating behaviour for females according to Parental Investment theory?

-Attract genetically fit partners
-provide care for offspring
-seek commitment from partners to stay and help protect offspring
-be resource intensive

Based the theory of parental investment, a study had men and women rate their ideal partner on 5 traits: kindness, intelligence, health, attractiveness, and financial prospects. Which traits showed no difference across genders?

Kindness, intelligence, health (equally adaptive traits for men and women)

The Evolutionary Psychology theory does not suggest men and women have developed explicit / conscious preferences for resources or fertility, but rather prefers correspond to…

cues

What are some general implications of Evolutionary Psychology for female gender roles and mate preference?

-caregiver’s
-seek commitment from strong, resourceful males

What are some general implications of Evolutionary Psychology for male gender roles and mate preference?

-providers
-sex-oriented
-seek virgins who only invest in their children (paternity certainty)

Are males bothered more by emotional or sexual infidelity?
Are females bothered more by emotional or sexual infidelity?

males - sexual infidelity
females - emotional infidelity

True or False: From 36 diverse countries, Evolutionary Psychology and sex differences accounts for cross-cultural similarities

True

The Dirty T-shirt study investigated how women can evaluate genetic fitness based on scent, where women rated the attractiveness based on the body odour of men to see if they could accurately predict attractiveness based on smell. It predicted women should be responsive to men’s body odour during ovulation. What were the results?

Ovluating women, the rating of attractiveness based on scent  was highly correlated with actual attractiveness

What are 3 c critiques of Evolutionary Psychology?

-Rooted in the distant past
-Too much focus on attraction and sex vs maintaining relationships
-Ignores diversity in relationships and treats the human species as a whole

True or False: non-reproducing members of family are important because they can invest more time and effort in caregiving for other members of the family that can reproduce (Evolutionary Psychology)

False

Based on gender, which gender pairing in intimate relationships have the highest frequency of sex?
Which gender pairing in intimate relationships have the lowest frequency of sex?

Highest, male-male
Lowest, female-female

Attachment Theory John Bowlby (1960s)

intimate relationships people form as adults are shaped by the attachments formed by primary caregivers during infancy

Bowlby suggest that Attachment Theory is rooted in evolution theories, because humans have evolved an Attachment Behaviour System that monitors and promotes closeness with caregivers. Some examples of these behaviours include smiling, babbling, and crying. What are 3 key factors of Attachment Behaviour System?

1. We pay attention to ourselves (hungry, scared)

2. We pay attention to our caregiver (Is Mom close by?)

3. We look for potential threats in the environment (Is there a monster in

the closet?)

What is the goal of the Attachment Behavioural System?

To promote felt security and safety to explore the world; restore safety when threatened.

Based on Attachment Theory, early experiences form different types of attachment bonds and develop into Working Models (Cindy Hazan and Phil Shaver)

Internal frameworks about self and others developed from early caregiver experiences that guide later relationships.

One dimension of attachment is self. How does self correspond to anxiety in relationships?

People with low self-worth tend to have high anxiety
People with high self-worth tend to have low anxiety

One dimension of attachment is others. How do attachment figures correspond to avoidance in relationships?

People with who mistrust others tend to have high avoidance
People with who view others as trustworthy tend to have low avoidance

What are the four adult attachment styles and their positions on anxiety and avoidance?

1. Secure; positive view of self (low anxiety) & positive view of others (low avoidance)

2. Preoccupied (anxious); negative view of self (high anxiety) & positive view of others (low avoidance)

3. Dismissive (avoidant); positive view of self (low anxiety) & negative view of others (high avoidance)

4. Fearful (anxious-avoidant); negative view of self (high anxiety) & negative view of others (high avoidance)

How are attachment styles usually measured?

Using scale responses across 2 dimensions (anxiety & avoidance)

How does attachment style influence how people view partner behavior under stress?

Securely attached individuals tend to view partner support as more supportive than those with insecure attachment.

During stressful times, people tend to seek out their partners//attachment figures. A study had one partner exposed to a stressful event like delivering a speech, and then asked their other partner for support by expressing nervousness or confidence. When expressing nervousness, how did secure partners react to the request for support versus insecure partners?

Secure partners provided more supportive comments, while insecure partners provided more unsupportive comments

During a study where couples reported their daily experiences and feelings, results showed that insecure partners reported more conflicts and felt negatively about the relationship as a whole during conflicts. Based on this study, what is an implication of insecure attachments?

The tendency for insecure people to notice and intensify conflicts weakens long-term relationship prospects

What behavior is associated with anxious attachment?

Excessive reassurance seeking—frequently asking a partner about feelings.

Are attachment styles stable over the lifespan?

Generally stable, but can be influenced by changing circumstances
ex. partner suddenly starts working late most nights

Sometimes, attachment style can change over time. The correlation between attachment to caregiver and attachment to adult partner is weak for children exposed to multiple difficult life events. Similarly, adolescence is a time where attachment styles are more prone to change. What are 2 examples of life events in adulthood that can alter attachment styles?

Marriage - tends to make people more secure
Betrayal - tends to make people more insecure

What is a strength of Attachment Theory in research?

-Accounts for relationship patterns across the lifespan
-Explains the source of intimacy standards and expectations

What is a limitation of Attachment Theory in research?

-Difficulty operationalizing attachment in intimate relationships
-Does not address variability in couples with same attachment styles

How is Malik and Darla used in relation to theory?

The case illustrates applying Evolutionary Psychology and Attachment Theory to understand real relationship dynamics.