PSYA02H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Frontal Lobe, Adrenal Gland, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

• School: UTSC
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYA02H3
• Professor: John Bassili

Document Summary

cultural evolution: a culture"s adaptive change to recurrent environmental pressures driven mainly by psychological forces. it"s a product of human intellect and physical capacity which have genetic components. cultural evolution has been the primary agent involved in shaping lifestyle. lifestyle: the aggregate behavior of a person; the way they lead their life. today there is no predominant lifestyle like there was for prehistoric ancestors - cultural evolution has allowed us to have the luxury of choosing among alternatives. cultural evolution has resulted in a much higher standard of living than ancestors but has caused health and safety threats. although the consequences of unhealthy lifestyle behavior (excessive drinking) have obvious negative biological implications, the behaviors themselves can be acquired and maintained by both biological and psychological factors. the law of effect: behaviors that produce favorable consequences tend to be repeated and those that produce unfavorable consequences tend not to be repeated.