Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Secondary Sex Characteristic, Parental Investment, Westermarck Effect

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Mark Holden

Document Summary

Many traits have a genetic basis: height, weight, eye colour, iq, mental disorders, attitudes and beliefs, behaviours. Organisms vary with respect to these traits: partly due to differences in genes and/or environment. Evolution is change over time in the frequency of traits/alleles within a population. Changes in frequency can occur through mutation and/or natural selection. If one person is affected but mutation is advantageous natural selection evolution: natural selection. Differential survival and reproduction as a function of heritable traits. Certain characteristics make an organism more/less likely to survive and reproduce. Traits that increase survival/reproduction are more likely to be passed on to offspring (increased frequency in the next generation) Fitness: how successful an organism with particular genes or traits is at passing on their genes into subsequent generations (relative to others, natural selection acts on the 3 tasks related to fitness. If there is no disadvantage there is no problem.