Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Flashcards covering basic evolutionary theory, common misconceptions, different ways to conceptualize evolution, how psychological adaptations work, various levels of explanation, the naturalistic fallacy, and methods for studying behavior using evolutionary theory.

Replicators

Things that make copies of themselves.

Reproduction with inheritance

A property of replicators that results in offspring similar to parents.

Mutation

A property of replicators that results in slight variations among individuals.

Selection (or Differential Reproduction)

Heritable differences between individuals leading them to reproduce at different rates.

Evolution

A change over time in a population of organisms.

Natural selection

Differential survival leading to differential reproduction.

Sexual selection

Differential mating success.

Evolution (Misconception of Progress)

Often mistakenly equated with 'progress,' but truly means change over time, not necessarily in a particular direction or towards greater complexity.

Evolution as a developmental process (Misconception)

The incorrect idea that evolution is analogous to the development of an individual organism from something simple to more complex.

Evolution (Fact vs. Theory)

Both an observed fact (change over time in populations) and a scientific theory (an explanation of that fact).

'For the good of the species' (Misconception)

The incorrect idea that evolution operates to benefit an entire species rather than being driven by individual survival and reproduction.

Evolution as random (Misconception)

The incorrect idea that evolution is entirely random; while mutations are random, differential reproduction is not, making evolution non-random.

Adaptationism

An approach to thinking about evolution that emphasizes how natural selection designs organisms to be well adapted to their environments.

Phylogenetics

An approach to thinking about evolution that emphasizes that natural selection can only work on existing materials (what it has at hand).

Kludge

A 'jury-rigged contraption' used in engineering and evolutionary biology, meaning something clumsy, but good enough to function, due to constraints of existing materials.

Convergent evolution

The independent evolution of similar features in species from different evolutionary periods or epochs due to similar selective pressures.

Vestiges

Remnants of past evolutionary stages, like whales' pelvises or snakes' hind legs, that reveal an organism's phylogenetic history.

Novel environments

Environments that are significantly different from those in which an organism evolved, potentially leading to maladaptive responses.

Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA)

The environment relevant to explaining how an organism evolved; also known as the Adaptively Relevant Environment (ARE).

Coalitional psychology

The tendency to quickly and easily identify social groups that oneself and others appear to belong to.

Blank Slate (Tabula Rasa)

The idea that the human mind is entirely shaped by culture and experience, with no innate predispositions.

Dual Process Theory

A theory describing two systems of thinking: System 1 (unconscious, fast, automatic) and System 2 (conscious, slow, rational).

System 1 (Dual Process Theory)

The unconscious, fast, automatic, intuitive, implicit, unintentional, difficult to control, and often phylogenetically widespread system of thinking.

System 2 (Dual Process Theory)

The conscious, slow, rational, explicit, intentional, and controllable system of thinking.

Phylogenetic explanation

A level of biological explanation focusing on the phylogenetic heritage of an organism, representing the greatest causal distance and time depth.

Ultimate (Distal) explanation

A level of biological explanation focusing on the selection pressures that favored the evolution of an adaptation.

Ontogenetic (Developmental) explanation

A level of biological explanation focusing on how an adaptation develops in an individual organism (before or after birth).

Proximate explanation

A level of biological explanation focusing on how an adaptation works in the present moment, often referred to as a proximate mechanism.

Naturalistic Fallacy

The error of deriving an 'ought' statement from an 'is' statement, often committed when morally justifying behaviors based on them being evolved or natural.

Behavior genetics (Behavioral genetics)

A field of study that identifies specific genes associated with specific behaviors.

Behavioral ecology

An approach to studying behavior that examines how a species' responses to different environments reveal its evolutionary history and adaptations.

Evolutionary psychology

A field closely related to behavioral ecology that studies how human psychology and behavior have been shaped by natural selection.

Replicators

Things that make copies of themselves.

Reproduction with inheritance

A property of replicators that results in offspring similar to parents.

Mutation

A property of replicators that introduces slight variations among individuals.

Selection (or differential reproduction)

When heritable differences between individuals lead them to reproduce at different rates.

Evolution

A change over time in a population of organisms.

Natural selection

Differential survival leading to differential reproduction.

Sexual selection

Differential mating success.

Evolution (as change over time)

The process of change in species over generations, which does not necessarily imply progress or increasing complexity.

Evolution (as a fact)

An observation about the universe, that species change over time.

Evolution (as a theory)

An explanation of the fact of evolution.

Evolutionary drive

Primarily driven by the differential survival and reproduction of individual organisms, not species.

Mutations (randomness)

Random changes in an organism's genetic material.

Evolution (randomness)

Not random because differential reproduction among mutations is not random.

Adaptationism

An approach that emphasizes how natural selection designs organisms to be well adapted to their environments.

Phylogenetics

An emphasis on the fact that natural selection can only work on whatever raw materials it has at hand due to an organism's evolutionary history.

Kludge

A 'jury-rigged contraption' that is clumsy, lame, ugly, dumb, but good enough; a term used in engineering, computer science, and evolutionary biology.

Convergent evolution

The process where different species independently evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.

Phylogenetic inertia

The principle that traits or characteristics of an organism are constrained by its evolutionary history.

Vestiges

Traces of an organism's past phylogenetic history, such as anatomical structures that have lost their original function.

Novel environments

Environments significantly different from those in which an organism evolved, which can lead to non-adaptive behaviors.

Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA) (or Adaptively Relevant Environment (ARE))

The specific environmental conditions under which a particular adaptation evolved.

Human ancestral societies

Characterized as small scale, face-to-face, and kinship-based societies.

Coalitional psychology

The tendency to quickly and easily identify social groups that oneself and others appear to belong to.

Blank Slate (Tabula Rasa)

The misconception that the human mind is entirely shaped by culture and experience, without inherent predispositions.

Dual process theory (Thinking Fast and Slow)

Describes two systems of thinking: System 1 (unconscious, fast, automatic) and System 2 (conscious, slow, rational).

System 1

A category of psychological processes that are unconscious, fast, automatic, intuitive, implicit, unintentional, difficult to control, and often ancient and phylogenetically widespread.

System 2

A category of psychological processes that are conscious, slow, rational, explicit, intentional, and controllable, potentially unique to humans.

Phylogenetic explanation

A level of explanation that focuses on the evolutionary heritage of an organism, including raw materials for adaptation, representing the greatest causal distance and time depth.

Ultimate (or distal) explanation

A level of explanation that focuses on the selection pressures that favored the evolution of an adaptation, closer in causal distance and time than phylogenetic.

Ontogenetic (or developmental) explanation

A level of explanation that focuses on how an adaptation develops in the individual organism, whether before or after birth.

Proximate explanation

A level of explanation that focuses on how an adaptation (or proximate mechanism) works in the here and now.

Culture

Socially transmitted information influencing behavior.

Naturalistic fallacy

The error of deriving an 'ought' statement from an 'is' statement, or morally justifying behaviors solely because they are evolved or natural.

Behavior genetics (or behavioral genetics)

An approach to studying behavior by identifying specific genes associated with specific behaviors.

Human genetic variation

Genetic differences among humans are greater within any single human population than they are between different human populations.

Lactase persistence

The ability of adults to digest lactose, a well-documented instance where genetic differences between human groups correlate with behavioral differences (milk consumption).

Behavioral ecology

An approach that investigates how a species' responses to different environments reveal its evolutionary history, often viewing humans in varied environments as a 'natural experiment'.

Evolutionary psychology

A field closely related to behavioral ecology that studies the evolution of behavior, focusing on psychological adaptations shaped by natural selection.