PSYC 3100 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Evolutionary Psychology, Evolution, Naturalistic Fallacy
12 Oct 2018
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Department
Course
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PSYC 3100
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
PSYC 3100 – evolutionary psychology
Lecture 1
Evolutionary theory
• Unites the biological sciences
• Makes sense of desperate facts in nature
• Is extraordinarily powerful at predicting new findings
What is evolutionary psychology?
• Use of evolutionary theory as the foundation for studying brains and behaviour
• Link between the natural sciences and psychology (and ideally with social sciences too)
• Draws from biology, zoology, psychology, anthropology, and economics
• Not a sub discipline of psychology - it’s a paradigm for all of psychology
• Evolutionary theory unites the old psychological findings and helps predict new ones
o Nothing in psychology or culture makes sense except in the light of evolution
Genes eye perspective
• Genes replicate information: they are replicators
• The genes that are most prevalent now are the ones that were best at propagating themselves in
prior generations
• What can a gene do to aid its own propagation
o Examples
• Help build a good body (a vehicle) possibly including a good brain
• Extract information from the environment and respond appropriately
• Help its body - or other bodies carrying a copy of itself - to survive and reproduce
Possible misinterpretations with "gene language"
• Shorthand talk
A. "a gene for X"
• "A gene or set of genes that code for proteins that act as a part of a developmental process that,
given a relatively normal rearing environment, builds (possibly with crucial input from the
environment) a brain or body in which X is more likely to occur than would have been the case
had the organism is possessed an alternate set of genes at those loci"
• More shorthand talk
B. "a gene (or organism) wants X"
• "A gene that causes (however indirectly) X to occur us more likely to be passed on than a gene
that does not cause X, i.e, X is a good strategy therefore, we expect to find genes that cause X"
B1) "a gene (or organism)should do X"
• X is a successful strategy that a gene could follow to spread copies of itself" therefore.. "we
predict that we'll see organisms doing X
• Beware the naturalistic fallacy
o Tendency to confuse "what is" with "what ought to be"
o Evolutionary theory helps to predict and explain what will evolve or has evolved and why, it
does not justify it
o This fallacy is especially tempting with human behaviour
• More shorthand talk
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
B2) "genes are selfish"
• Successful genes act as though they look out for themselves. i.e. they aid their own propagation at
the expense of alternatives. The genes that are most prevalent today are the ones that aided their
own spread in past generations
• Genes may be selfish but it does not mean that people are
• Selfishness includes cooperating for mutual benefit
What I will and wont be saying
• Humans are animals
• Genes can influence behaviour
• Brains (and behaviour they produce) can be products of evolution
• Motivations are about fitness-relevant concerns (fitness - repr. Success)
• Decision rules should be (or once were) adaptive on average
• Behaviour X exists, increases inclusive fitness, and/or may be part of human nature
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Evolutionary theory: unites the biological sciences, makes sense of desperate facts in nature. "a gene that causes (however indirectly) x to occur us more likely to be passed on than a gene that does not cause x, i. e, x is a good strategy therefore, we expect to find genes that cause x" Successful genes act as though they look out for themselves. i. e. they aid their own propagation at the expense of alternatives. The genes that are most prevalent today are the ones that aided their own spread in past generations: genes may be selfish but it does not mean that people are. What i will and wont be saying: humans are animals, genes can influence behaviour, brains (and behaviour they produce) can be products of evolution, motivations are about fitness-relevant concerns (fitness - repr. Success: decision rules should be (or once were) adaptive on average, behaviour x exists, increases inclusive fitness, and/or may be part of human nature.
