Chapter 2: Culture and Nature Vocabulary Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 2 on culture, nature, evolution, the duplex mind, and social behavior.

Psyche

A broader term for mind, encompassing emotions, desires, perceptions, and all other psychological processes.

Nature

The physical world around us, including its laws and processes.

Theory of Evolution

A theory proposed by Charles Darwin to explain how change occurs in nature over time.

Natural Selection

The process whereby those members of a species that survive and reproduce most effectively are the ones that pass along their genes to future generations.

Survival

Living longer, which serves as a vital biological strategy to achieve reproduction.

Reproduction

Producing offspring that survive long enough to also reproduce.

Mutation

A new gene or combination of genes resulting from random genetic changes.

Impersonal Cooperation

Working together with strangers or other non-kin for mutual benefit.

Social Animals

Animals that seek connections to others and prefer to live, work, and play with other members of their species.

Cultural Animals

Animals, specifically humans, that rely on information-based systems with shared ideas and praxis to live together and get what they need.

Culture

An information-based system, involving both shared understandings and praxis, that enables groups of people to live together in an organized fashion and to get what they need.

Praxis

Practical ways of doing things within a culture.

Duplex Mind

The idea that the mind has two different processing systems: deliberate and automatic.

Automatic System

The part of the mind outside of consciousness that performs simple, quick, and effortless operations.

Deliberate System

The part of the mind that performs complex, slow, and rule-based operations in consciousness.

Trade-off

A choice in which taking or maximizing one benefit requires either accepting a cost or sacrificing another benefit.

Innate

A trait or feature that an individual is born with, as opposed to something learned or acquired during life.

Relative Age Effect

The phenomenon in which individuals born earlier relative to an arbitrary cutoff date gain developmental or performance advantages over younger peers.

Individualism

A cultural orientation in which people prioritize taking care of themselves and maintaining personal choice.

Collectivism

A cultural orientation in which maintaining relationships, group harmony, and getting along with others takes precedence over individual desires.

Precarious Manhood

The cultural view that manhood is social and tentative, requiring continuous proof and achievement, whereas womanhood is viewed as a biological achievement.