PSYC12H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Putrescine, Health Management System, Fear
Document Summary
Informed speculations about our evolutionary prehistory have led to hypotheses about contemporary prejudice. Contemporary human mind evolved as a response to that problems imposed by the environments in which ancestral populations lived. Traits that helped ancestors survive and/or reproduce got passed on. Hypotheses about evolutionary processes in the past, can be used to derive hypotheses about psychological responses that may still operate in the present. These hypotheses can be tested with methods of experimental psychology. Observable psychological phenomenon today served some useful function in ancestral times. (cid:271)ut it(cid:859)s (cid:374)ot the (cid:272)ase that e(cid:448)ol(cid:448)ed (cid:396)espo(cid:374)ses a(cid:396)e (cid:374)e(cid:272)essa(cid:396)il(cid:455) fu(cid:374)ctional in contemporary contexts. For several million years, humans live in social groups. Schaller (2003): 2 evolutionary models of contemporary prejudice are discussed: intergroup vigilance theory: prejudice is the result of evolutionary adaptations, which helped our ancestors avoid vulnerability to physical injury. Responsible for the perception that out-groups are dangerous. (cid:448)igila(cid:374)t a(cid:448)oida(cid:374)(cid:272)e of i(cid:374)te(cid:396)g(cid:396)oup e(cid:374)(cid:272)ou(cid:374)te(cid:396)s (cid:449)ould(cid:859)(cid:448)e (cid:271)ee(cid:374) adapti(cid:448)e i(cid:374) that (cid:272)o(cid:374)te(cid:454)t.
