SOCPSY 1Z03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Sociobiology, Steven Pinker

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Social Psychology
• Course: SOCPSY 1Z03
• Professor: Jeff Racine

Document Summary

Any behaviour intended to harm another person that the target person wants to avoid. Helping that is intended to provide aid to someone else without expectation of any reward. Aggressive/altruistic behaviour is selectively targeted to increase the chaces that our own genes will be passed on to subsequent generations. Evaluating the evolutionary explanation of aggression and altruism. Many children learn aggressive behaviour from their parents. A longitudinal study of 717 boys found that boys who experienced harsh parenting practices at ages 10 to 12 were more likely to be involved in violent dating relationships at age 16. Research studies on violence and media consistently report moderate positive correlations between television viewing and aggressive behaviour. Aggression => viewing: viewing => aggression. Refers to the fact that the greater the number of bystanders in an emergency, the less likely any one bystander will help. Norms shape behaviour (e. g. decision to intervene/help) Participants witness fight between man and woman.