PSYCH 1XX3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Abnormal Psychology, Nepotism, Naturalistic Fallacy
26 Mar 2016
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Evoluionary psychology: study of mind and behaviour as a branch of evoluionary biology. Brain is part of biology; it is subject to evoluion. Claus wedekind (1995): compared intensity/pleasantness of body odour to genotypes. Human leukocyte anigen (hla or mhc) group is known for immune funcion. Naturally cycling women found geneically dissimilar men"s odour more pleasant. Women taking pills found geneically similar men"s odours more pleasant. Women"s choice of mate is inluenced by her afecive responses to male odours. Natural selecion should make them prefer dissimilar geneic traits for geneic versaility. Women on pills are in inferile psychological state and their preference is for social support. Women were the smellers as females are more discriminaing in mate choice. It"s an evoluionary psychology study but it answers quesions that experimental psychologist want. Self-similarity at certain geneic loci afects women"s responses to male body odours. Women"s hormonal state exerts a modulaing efect on these afecive responses.
