PSYC14H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Shakers

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maroonalpaca618

5 Jul 2018

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EvolutionaryFoundationsofCulturalPsychology



Evolutionbynaturalselection

● Theprocessbywhichformsoflifehaving

traitsthatbetterenablethemtoadaptto

specificenvironmentalpressures,as

predators,changesinclimate,orcompetition

forfoodormates,willtendtosurviveand

reproduceingreaternumbersthanothersof

theirkind,thusensuringthatperpetuationof

thosefavourabletraitsinsucceeding

generations



SelfishGene(1976)DawkinsSociobiology(1975)

Wilson

● Beforetheseguys,peoplerarelytalked

aboutpsychologicaltendencies/traits

evolvinginhumans

● 1.Humansarenotimmunetoevolutionof

psychologicaltraits

○ Psychologicaltraitshavebeen

selectedforthroughgenerations

●2.Wearedifferentthanallspeciesnotonly

becauseweareopentonotjustbiological

evolutionbutthisthingcalledcultureaswell



Dawkinsonmemes

● Geneshavetheabilitytomakeexactcopies

ofitself,sothereisahugedifference

betweensuccessfulandunsuccessfulgenes

○ Geneistheunitofbiological

inheritance 

● Memeisaunitofculturalinheritance,itis

likethegeneintheUNculture

○ Theequivalentofreproducing

wouldbetheactofcopyingtheidea

intoanother

○ Examples=whistlingatune,

someonehearsitandwhistlesthe

sametune

■ Samethingcouldbelike

anaccent,astyleof

clothing,astyleof

carpentryfromamasterto

anapprentice

■ Anythingthatcanbeused

that’scopiedexactly

○ Possibilityofnaturalselection



Memetictheory

● Anythingyoucanconsidertobeculture,

somethingsgetpassedonandsomethings

don’t

● “Memesusehumansastheirhost”



Biologicalvs.culturalevolution

●Biologicalevolution:replicationofgenes

○ Naturalselection

○ Sexualselection

● Biologicalgenesanalogoustocultural

memes→longevity(theunitgetspassedon

foralongtime),fecundity(howrapidlyaunit

getspassedontothenexthostandhow

rapidlyitspreads),fidelity(doestheunitget

passedfaithfully,truetoitsform)

●Culturalevolution:replicationofideas

○ Communicableideasspread

■ Thingsthatareeasierto

understand

○ Emotionalideasspread 

■ Hardwiredtobeemotional

■ Emotionsareadaptiveand

helpusorienttothe

environment

● Orienttoperson,

place,etc

○ Minimallycounterintuitiveideas

spread

■ Intuitive=Thisisa

fourleggedtable

■ Counterintuitive=Thisisa

confusedtable

● Tablesare

objects,humans

getconfused

● Ifsomethingis

too

counterintuitive,it

doesn’tget

transmitted



Dennettonmemes

● Goontofield,seeant,antclimbstopof

bladeofgrass,itfalls,itkeepsrepeatingthe

sameaction=notgoodbecauseitexposes

ittopredators

○ Anthijackedbyparasiticworm

● Virulentideas

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○ Forexample,religion;willingly

givingthemselvesuptoGod

● Shakers

○ Absolutecelibacy

○ Notgoodbiologicalinheritancebc

theydon’thavekids=fail

○ Takekidsfromorphanageandtell

themaboutshakerdom,theirideais

inherited=success



Internetandimmunityagainst(bad?)ideas

● Needtodevelopimmunityagainsttoxic

ideas

● Biological:somepeopleareabletoresist

certainviruses,becausetheyhavea

biologicalimmunityagainstit

● Ideaislikethevirus

○Humanisthehost

● Buildingdefencesagainstinformation

○ Criticizethem



Internetmemes:whatsticks?

● Thedressof2015

● LOLcatsof2006

● Yougotrickrolledof2007

● Theharlemshakeof2014



Ritualasculturalcopying

● Highimitativefidelity 

● Toddlerscopyactionsbetterwithritualsand

ingroupmodel

● Infants:aretheyawareofwhataritualisina

socialcontext?

○ Exposethemtoastimulant

○ Amountoftimestheylookatitand

howlongtheylookatit=more

interesting

○ Adultmodels,interactwitheach

otherwithritualorwithoutritual

○ Adultmodels,interactwitheach

otherfriendlyornotfriendly

○ Foundthatinfantsexposedto

RITUAL+NONFRIENDLY=they

lookedatthemforlongerperiodsof

time

■ Thisisbecausethisis

novel,peopledoingrituals

togethershouldbefriends

butherethey’renot???

○Conclusion:understandthatrituals

oughttodosomethinginasocial

context

EEA(environmentofevolutionaryadaptiveness):

huntergathereradaptedness

● Groupswereusuallysmall:Dunbar’snumber

(about100)

○ Beyondthisnumber,humansno

longerhavethecapacityto

remembereveryoneandremember

everyone’sbehaviours

● Theywereusuallynomadic

○ Travelledalot

● Dailylifeinvolvedphysicalchallenge

● Diseaseproducedhighratesofmortality:

Pathogenavoidanceandbehavioural

immunesystem(BIS)

○ Lifespanwaslatethirties,early

forties

○BISengageincertainbehaviours

toavoidbeingexposedto

pathogens

● Mostactivitiesoccurredinhighlysocial

contexts:existingalonemeantsuredeath

(sociometerhypothesisofselfesteem)

○ Feelingofselfesteemtellsusto

correctthingsinthesocial

environment

● Privacywaslimited

● Intragroupconflictsmorethanintergroup

● Thesegeneralizationsdescribethecontexts

inwhichalmostallofhumanevolutionand

historyhaveoccurred



● Homoerectuswasborn1.8millionyears

ago

○ About500,000yearsago,these

hominidsbegandeveloping

increasinglylargerbrainsandthe

abilitytofindmultiplefoodsources

○ Despitetheirlargerbrains,theyleft

noevidenceofart,religion,or

language

○ Discoveredbiggergameasprotein

source

○ Competitionofhomorobustus,who

ateinsectsforprotein,homo

robustuseatenbyhomoerectus 

● Homosapienscameonthescene

approximately150,000yearsago

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