Human Evolution and Evolutionary Psychology

Flashcards of vocabulary terms related to human evolution and evolutionary psychology.

Adaptation

A physical or psychological trait that consistently features in a species history because at a previous point in that species’ evolutionary history it solved a particular problem that had fitness-maximising consequence. Complex and well-organised.

Genetic drift

Natural variation & frequency of a trait down to mathematical chance (does not act on the genotype).

Vestigial trait

Traits such as the appendix, wisdom teeth or goosebumps.

Hominin

Humans, extinct human species & ancestors.

Hominids

Great apes..

Bipedal locomotion

Separates hominins (homo) from other hominids; Shaped by the environment, leads to different diet, feet developed better arches for bearing the weight of the torso and different shaped jaws and skulls..

Social Intelligence Hypothesis

Selective pressures caused by the social environment - competition & cooperation with conspecifics important factor in the evolution and shaping of the brain and cognition in animals.

Social Brain Hypothesis

Correlation between relative brain size (neocortex) and social group size; Social cohesion needed to avoid predation. Sociality is incredibly cognitively demanding.

Neocortex

The neocortex is where the complex thinking goes on – it’s not just about regulating basic functions. Species with large average group sizes are the most corticalised.

Dunbar’s number

Calculation that humans have cognitive capacity/constraint for meaningful information held of 150 individuals. Not just about memory, but integrating and managing information about the constantly changing relationships between individuals within a group.

Integrated Causal Model

There are evolved information processing mechanisms adaptations specialised for behaviours involved in mate selection, language acquisition, family relations & cooperation: This then generates human culture – e.g., religion, art and language.

Neural modules/mechanisms shaped by the Environmental of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA)

Solve problems consistently posed in that environment; Domain specific cognitive specialisations; Cognitive abilities such as types of sensory perception, preferences for visual and facial stimuli etc., seen in infants from a very young age.

Altruism

Increases the fitness of another individual at your expense. Kin selection – someone from your family benefits (preferred according to genetic relatedness).

Parental Investment Theory

The level of consideration given to a potential mate is a function how much energy is expended in childcare.

Trivers-Willard effect (1973)

How a mother apportions energy/resources to children depending on the quality of the environment.

Fisher’s runaway selection (1930)

A physical trait becomes more extreme because it is reliably selected for by females (e.g., Peacock’s feathers).

Hamilton-Zuk’s good genes hypothesis (1982)

Females prefer males who are resistance to parasites – good genes cannot be observed directly, therefore signaled through secondary sexual traits (e.g., plumage – peacocks (again).

Zahavi’s handicap principle (1975)

Only those with good genes can withstand costly traits (e.g., testosterone).

Adaptive rumination hypothesis (Andrews & Thomson, 2009)

Depression can be a signal for help.