Evolutionary Perspective in Psychology

Adaptive mechanisms, research methods, and individual differences in evolutionary psychology based on lecture notes.

Evolutionary continuity

The principle that all animal capacities and behavior exist in continuity with other species.

Human exceptionalism

A view not very supported by evolution that human capacities are separate and unique from other species.

Hostile force of nature

Factors such as food shortages, diseases, and parasites that impede survival; variants that help organisms survive these have an increased likelihood of being reproduced.

Sexual selection

The evolution of characteristics because of mating benefits rather than survival benefits.

Intrasexual selection

Competition between members of the same sex for mating access.

Intersexual selection

Mating choices based on preferences for certain characteristics in the opposite sex.

Adaptive problem

Anything that impedes survival or reproduction.

Byproducts of adaptations

Incidental effects of the evolutionary process that are not properly considered adaptations.

Evolutionary noise

Random variations that are neutral to the selection process.

Domain specific

The concept that adaptations are designed to solve a particular problem, as different adaptive problems require different solutions.

Functionality

The principle in evolutionary psychology that psychological mechanisms are designed to accomplish particular adaptive goals.

Deductive reasoning approach

A top-down, theory-driven research method.

Inductive reasoning approach

A bottom-up, data-driven research method.

Need to belong

A basic human motivator driven by status and acceptance; failure to satisfy this results in social pain and poor physical health.

Inclusive fitness

The ability of a help recipient to enhance the ability of the helper to pass on their genes; explains why individuals are more likely to help siblings than nieces or nephews.

Interspecies altruism

Helping behavior between different species, such as humpback whales saving other species from killer whales.

Fore of New Guinea

A group with no contact with outsiders that showed universal pairing of emotions and facial expressions in studies.

ADRA2C

A gene where low expression correlates with a higher likelihood of the fight-or-flight response over resources.

Theory of parental investment

The theory that since females can only bear a small number of offspring, they are careful in mate choice, while males must compete.

Effective polygyny

The variance in reproduction between sexes; greater variance leads to greater competition within the sex showing high variance.

Evocation

The concept that individual differences may be explained by which individuals are exposed to conditions that elicit specific species-typical psychological mechanisms, such as jealousy.

MAOA

A gene that, when low in children, correlates with antisocial or violent tendencies following childhood adversity.

Frequency-dependent selection

The principle that the reproductive success of a trait depends on its frequency relative to other traits; it becomes less successful as it becomes more common.

Balancing selection

The idea that there is no unconditionally optimal value for the Big 5 because different environments call for different levels of a trait.

7R Allele

A variant of the DRD4 gene associated with novelty-seeking that exists at higher rates in North America and may have provided an adaptive advantage in colonizing new environments.

Difference-detecting mechanism

The ability to notice and remember individual differences relevant to solving adaptive problems, such as identifying who is reliable or likely to rise in a hierarchy.