PSYCH 1XX3 Chapter Notes - Chapter Evolution: Natural Selection, Adaptationism, Genetic Drift
10 Apr 2018
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Evolution bridge psychology as a biological science: the unifying theory = the theory of evolution. Biological sciences goal: to elucidate the adapting designs of living things. Interested in adaptations: the working parts / functional systems that animals are made up of. Adaptation = biological traits / characteristics that help an individual survive and reproduce in its particular habitat. They are always for something; they perform specific functions that make an organism better suited to its environment. Adaptations exist to help one thrive in their physical environment. Ex: your eyes enable you to recognize / respond to things around you by detecting / analyzing reflected light. Cognitive psychologists study the adaptive functions of mental activities. Our adaptive mental processes all evolved through natural selection. They emerge in development as a result of the activation of genes in interaction with aspects of the environment. They arise in the first place by : natural selection.
